Saudi Arabia – Maternity and Giving Birth

What maternity care options are available in Saudi Arabia?

Maternity and childbirth services across the Kingdom differ considerably in style and setting, though care meeting international benchmarks is widely accessible. The antenatal pathway in Saudi Arabia is built around an OB/GYN rather than a community midwife model. Deliveries are handled by obstetricians who are affiliated with a hospital and who remain involved throughout the course of your pregnancy, providing a consistent point of clinical responsibility. This stands in contrast to the midwife-led continuity-of-care approach common in countries such as the Netherlands or New Zealand, where midwives independently oversee uncomplicated pregnancies.

Once you have confirmed your pregnancy, your first priority should be identifying a hospital with an obstetric department and choosing an OB/GYN you feel at ease with, as this person will accompany you through every stage of your pregnancy. How often you attend appointments will depend on your individual doctor and the particular details of your pregnancy. A standard visit will typically involve recording your temperature, weight, and blood pressure, followed by a brief ultrasound.

At around the 20-week mark, you will undergo a more comprehensive ultrasound at which the baby’s sex can usually be determined. Routine blood tests, gestational diabetes screening, and Group B Streptococcus testing are also generally offered, broadly consistent with what you would expect in most European or North American healthcare settings.

Childbirth in Saudi Arabia remains a highly medicalised process. While the presence of midwives and doulas is growing and their voices are becoming more prominent, they work alongside hospital-based births rather than acting as an alternative to them. Home births and standalone birthing centres are not widely available — the overwhelming majority of deliveries take place within a hospital environment.

Saudi Arabia operates a public hospital system administered by the Ministry of Health, which historically extended free care to all residents. Expatriate mothers were once able to give birth in public hospitals without charge, but this is no longer the situation. Access to government facilities for foreign nationals is now generally contingent on employer-sponsored insurance arrangements. Most expats working in the private sector are covered by mandatory employer-provided health insurance, which typically channels them toward a network of private or semi-private hospitals. It is worth reviewing your policy carefully to understand exactly which facilities fall within your coverage.

A critical legal point to be aware of: being pregnant outside of marriage is illegal in Saudi Arabia and carries severe penalties. For this reason, if you are unmarried and wish to confirm a pregnancy, the only safe way to do so is with a home pregnancy test. Given the legal and personal consequences of being unmarried and pregnant in the Kingdom, always carry your marriage certificate with you when attending any medical appointment.

During labour, you will have access to the full range of standard pain relief options, including epidurals, gas and air, and analgesic medications. One cultural distinction worth noting is that in public hospitals, your partner will not be permitted to be present in the delivery room, which is designated as a women-only space. The majority of private hospitals do allow partners to attend the birth, but it is advisable to confirm the specific policy of your chosen facility well in advance.

How much does it cost to give birth in Saudi Arabia?

What you pay will depend considerably on whether you hold insurance, the category of hospital you use, and the type of delivery involved. Without insurance, out-of-pocket costs for the delivery itself can range from SAR 2,000 to SAR 15,000 depending on the procedures required and whether you are using a public or private facility (as of 2024). At the upper end of the market, while average delivery costs sit at around SAR 5,000 for a vaginal birth and SAR 9,000 for a caesarean section, the total cost at a premium private hospital can reach SAR 20,000 or more (as of 2024).

At mid-range facilities, a vaginal delivery typically costs between SAR 3,500 and SAR 5,000, while a caesarean section runs from SAR 7,000 to SAR 10,000 (as of 2024). These figures do not include the cost of routine antenatal appointments and check-ups during the pregnancy. Individual consultations generally cost around SAR 100 per visit (as of 2024), though this varies between providers. Always verify current fees directly with your hospital or clinic.

Many insurance plans include a maternity component within the premium, but this is something you will need to confirm with your specific insurer. Certain antenatal services you may value — such as Lamaze or antenatal preparation classes — may not be covered, in which case you can either pay for these privately or consider upgrading your level of cover.

Bear in mind that your insurance is linked to your employment contract, or to that of your spouse. This is a meaningful difference from systems such as Germany’s statutory health insurance (GKV), where dependent family members are automatically covered under a single policy. In Saudi Arabia, coverage is employer-tied and lapses when a contract ends. Changing jobs or losing employment during pregnancy could leave you without cover at a particularly vulnerable time — forward planning and ensuring uninterrupted coverage is therefore essential.

International health insurance policies taken out before relocating to Saudi Arabia frequently include maternity benefits, though most carry a waiting period of between 10 and 12 months before those benefits become active. If you are planning to start a family, you should arrange cover well before trying to conceive and confirm with your insurer that Saudi Arabia falls within the policy’s geographical scope. It is also important to check and re-check which hospitals your insurance policy covers for maternity care, as some higher-end facilities may fall outside standard plan networks.

What is the standard of maternity and neonatal care in Saudi Arabia?

Antenatal, delivery, and postnatal services are readily accessible throughout the country, and the overall standard of medical care in Saudi Arabia is high. Infant mortality rates are low — broadly comparable to those in the United States. The major cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam are home to large hospital complexes with specialist maternal-fetal medicine departments, high-dependency obstetric units, and well-resourced neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

Physicians are well qualified, predominantly from overseas, and generally communicate in English, though fluency levels can vary. This provides some reassurance for those worried about language barriers, although Arabic remains the primary language for hospital administration, signage, and a proportion of nursing staff. For non-Arabic speakers, especially in public hospitals, having a trusted contact or interpreter available is a sensible precaution.

Private hospitals in the major cities typically offer a more comfortable and personalised experience: private rooms, greater latitude for birth plan preferences, the possibility of having a partner present during labour, and more attentive postnatal care. Public hospitals deliver competent clinical care but tend to have busier wards, less individualised attention, and stricter gender-separation policies — including the exclusion of partners from the delivery room.

The situation is more varied outside the big cities. Smaller regional and rural hospitals may have fewer specialist obstetric services and more limited NICU facilities. If you are based in a remote location and your pregnancy involves any elevated risk factors, it is strongly recommended that you discuss delivery arrangements with your OB/GYN at an early stage and consider whether relocating to a major city for the final weeks of pregnancy is a practical option.

One issue worth being alert to is that there are reports of some Saudi hospitals encouraging patients to opt for caesarean deliveries, as these generate larger insurance payouts. If a vaginal birth is your preference, raise this clearly with your OB/GYN from the beginning and ask them to explain their clinical reasoning before agreeing to any intervention. You are always entitled to seek a second opinion.

What should expats know about maternity rights and leave in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia’s Labour Law sets out maternity leave entitlements that apply to both Saudi nationals and legally employed foreign workers. Every working woman in Saudi Arabia — whether a Saudi national or an expatriate — is entitled to 12 weeks of fully paid maternity leave under Article 151 of the Saudi Labour Law (as of 2025). This represents a notable improvement on the previous 10-week entitlement following a legislative revision, so it is worth consulting the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) for the most current position.

Article 151 establishes that a working woman is entitled to maternity leave on full pay for a total of 12 weeks. This leave is ordinarily divided between the period before and after birth: four weeks are taken prior to the expected delivery date, supported by a certified medical report, and six weeks are taken following the birth. There is some flexibility in how the leave is structured, provided that the employee does not return to work during the first six weeks after delivery.

The law also safeguards job security, stipulating that an employer cannot terminate a woman’s contract solely because she has taken maternity leave. Upon returning from leave, she is entitled to resume her original role. Employers are also required to cover any necessary medical expenses arising during the pregnancy and delivery.

In the event that a child is born with a health condition or disability requiring constant care, a working mother is entitled to an additional one month of fully paid leave beginning at the end of her standard maternity leave, with the option to extend this by a further month on an unpaid basis.

Paternity leave entitlements are considerably shorter: fathers are entitled to three days of leave (as of 2024). There is no extended shared parental leave scheme of the kind found in Scandinavian countries or Canada. Fathers seeking additional time at home would need to negotiate this informally with their employer or use accrued annual leave.

While all maternity leave provisions under the Labour Law apply equally to Saudi and expatriate women, the reality on the ground can differ. Some employers — particularly private schools — have been known not to grant the full 12 weeks or the required medical coverage to expatriate employees, often on the grounds that they are not the employee’s legal sponsor. If you encounter this situation, you should seek guidance from the MHRSD or consult a qualified employment lawyer. It is also worth noting that self-employed workers and those engaged on freelance or contractor terms are not covered by the Labour Law’s maternity leave provisions in the same way, and should review their contracts and private insurance arrangements carefully.

For the most up-to-date information, consult the official Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development website.

How do you register a birth in Saudi Arabia?

Registering your newborn’s birth without delay is critical — it is the prerequisite for obtaining an Iqama (residence permit) for your child, without which they cannot legally reside in Saudi Arabia. The process has become substantially more straightforward in recent years, thanks to the expansion of digital government services.

1. Obtain a birth notification from the hospital. The first step is to request the baby’s birth notification from the hospital in which the birth took place. The hospital will forward this document to the Ministry of Health for registration. It typically takes around two weeks before you receive an SMS notification from the Ministry of Interior (MOI) confirming the registration.
2. Register the birth via Absher or Civil Affairs. The Agency for Civil Status at the Ministry of Interior has made electronic birth registration available to expatriates through the ministry’s Absher platform. To complete this online, log in to your Absher account, navigate to “My Services”, select “Civil Affairs”, and choose “New Born Registration”. Carefully check that the child’s name and date of birth are correctly recorded, and contact the hospital if any corrections are needed. Alternatively, you may attend your local Civil Affairs office (Ahwal Madani) in person.
3. Gather the required documents. Parents or guardians must complete registration within the legally prescribed period, generally 30 days. Documents typically required include the hospital birth notification, valid passports and Iqamas for both parents, and the original marriage certificate.
4. Register within 30 days to avoid a late fee. A SAR 50 late fee is applied if registration is not completed within 30 days of the birth (as of 2024). It is important to act promptly to avoid financial penalties and to ensure that all documentation is in order.
5. Receive the official birth certificate. The Civil Registrar will issue the official birth certificate in Arabic. Once electronic registration is complete, expatriates can request that the certificate be delivered to their home address.
6. Apply for the newborn’s Iqama. As part of the registration process, the Absher system automatically generates an Iqama number. Since birth in Saudi Arabia does not confer residency rights, your child will require a Saudi Residence Permit, which can only be issued following completed birth registration.
7. Register the birth with your home country’s embassy or consulate. Expats who give birth outside their country of origin should contact their embassy or consulate to register the birth there as well. The embassy may issue a consular birth certificate or record the birth in the home country’s civil register. Contact your embassy promptly, as procedures and timescales differ by nationality. You will also need to apply for a passport for your newborn through your embassy before the child is able to travel internationally.

Since expatriates frequently need to use birth certificates in other countries, attestation is a necessary step to confirm the document’s authenticity. This is a requirement across GCC countries and many others. Verify the current requirements with the Saudi Ministry of Interior and your own embassy or consulate.

What nationality will my child have if born in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia does not operate a birthright citizenship system. Being born within the Kingdom’s borders does not automatically confer Saudi nationality on a child. Unlike countries that follow a jus soli framework — under which birth on the territory of a country grants citizenship by default, as is the case in the United States or Argentina — Saudi Arabia adheres strictly to a jus sanguinis model.

Under this system, nationality is transmitted through the father. A child born in Saudi Arabia to two foreign nationals will not acquire Saudi citizenship, regardless of how long the parents have resided in the Kingdom or how many generations of the family have lived there.

There are a narrow set of circumstances in which Saudi citizenship may be available to a child born in the Kingdom: where the father is unknown and the mother holds Saudi nationality; where the father is stateless and the birth occurs in the Kingdom; or where the mother is Saudi and the foreign father satisfies relevant residency and conduct requirements. Outside these exceptional situations, a child born to two foreign parents will inherit the nationality — or nationalities — of those parents.

For expat families, the practical consequence is that you must establish your child’s citizenship through your home country. This is done by registering the birth with your country’s embassy or consulate in Saudi Arabia (see the birth registration section above). The embassy will issue documentation confirming the child’s citizenship, which forms the basis for applying for the child’s passport.

Nationality law can become complicated, particularly for parents of different nationalities, for children who may have multiple citizenship entitlements, or for individuals who are stateless. Always verify your specific circumstances with the relevant embassy or consulate and, where necessary, seek legal advice in both Saudi Arabia and your home country. The Saudi Ministry of Interior is the competent authority for matters relating to Saudi nationality.

What are the laws and attitudes around abortion in Saudi Arabia?

Access to abortion in Saudi Arabia is far more restricted than in many of the countries where readers of this article may previously have lived. This is an important reality for anyone planning to spend their reproductive years in the Kingdom.

Abortion in Saudi Arabia is only lawful in specific circumstances: where the pregnancy poses a risk to the woman’s life, where there is fetal impairment, or where continuing the pregnancy would endanger her physical or mental health. Pregnancies resulting from incest or rape may also qualify for a legal termination under the mental health provision. The fetus must be less than four months old at the time of the procedure (as of 2024). Beyond these defined categories, abortion is prohibited under Saudi law, which is grounded in Islamic Sharia principles.

Where termination is legally permitted, it must be authorised by medical professionals and is carried out within a hospital setting. The process involves review by medical committees or physicians to confirm that the lawful criteria have been satisfied. Abortion on request — whether for social, personal, or economic reasons — does not exist within the Saudi system. This framework is considerably more restrictive than in countries such as France, Germany, or Japan, where termination on request is permitted up to specified gestational limits.

Where terminations are legally sanctioned, they are carried out through authorised hospitals, including public facilities, subject to the relevant legal criteria being met. There is no unofficial or parallel private provision operating outside these legal parameters. In cases where the clinical grounds for termination are established, the associated costs are generally covered under health insurance, though you should verify this with your specific insurer.

Anyone seeking further guidance on their options should consult the Saudi Ministry of Health and a qualified medical practitioner in Saudi Arabia. Those facing a difficult situation may also wish to contact their embassy, which may be in a position to advise on options available to them as foreign nationals.

Frequently asked questions about having a baby in Saudi Arabia

Can I use Saudi Arabia’s public hospitals to give birth as a foreign national?

While expatriate mothers were once able to give birth in public hospitals free of charge, this is no longer the case. Access to the public system for foreign nationals is now generally tied to employer-sponsored insurance. Most expats are directed to private hospitals or facilities covered by their insurance network. Review your policy carefully and contact the Ministry of Health for the latest information on access arrangements.

Do I need to bring my marriage certificate to hospital appointments?

Yes. Because being unmarried and pregnant is illegal in Saudi Arabia and carries severe consequences, you should carry your marriage certificate to all medical appointments as a matter of course. This applies to both routine antenatal check-ups and to the day of delivery.

Can my partner be present in the delivery room?

In public hospitals, male partners are not permitted in the delivery room, which is reserved for women. Most private hospitals do allow partners to be present during labour and birth, but you should confirm the specific policy with your chosen facility when making your arrangements.

How much does it cost to give birth in Saudi Arabia without insurance?

At a mid-range facility, a vaginal delivery typically costs between SAR 3,500 and SAR 5,000, while a caesarean section costs between SAR 7,000 and SAR 10,000 (as of 2024). Costs can increase substantially at premium private hospitals. Always check current pricing directly with the hospital before making a decision.

How long do I have to register my baby’s birth in Saudi Arabia?

Birth registration must be completed within 30 days. A SAR 50 late fee is imposed for registrations submitted after this deadline (as of 2024). You should complete the registration as soon as you receive the MOI SMS notification, which the hospital initiates on your behalf.

Will my child automatically be a Saudi citizen if born in Saudi Arabia?

No. Saudi Arabia does not grant citizenship on the basis of birth on its territory. Nationality is passed down through the father under the jus sanguinis principle. A child born in Saudi Arabia to two foreign parents will hold the nationality of their parents, not Saudi citizenship. You must register the birth with your home country’s embassy to formally establish your child’s citizenship.

Does my baby need an Iqama?

Yes. Because birth in Saudi Arabia does not confer residency, your child will require a Saudi Residence Permit (Iqama) in order to live legally in the Kingdom. The Iqama number is generated automatically through the Absher registration process. Without this document, your child does not have legal residency status in Saudi Arabia.

How much maternity leave am I entitled to as an expat employee?

Both Saudi and expatriate working women in Saudi Arabia are entitled to 12 weeks of fully paid maternity leave under Article 151 of the Saudi Labour Law (as of 2025). This entitlement applies equally regardless of nationality. For the most current information on the statutory position, consult the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development website.