According to Article 17 of the Laws of the Constitution of Kedah Darul Aman, the person to be appointed Sultan must be a Malay male who is a descendent of Kedah rulers. He must also be a Muslim of the Ahli Sunnah Waljuaah (Sunni) sect. Article 7 (a) of the Laws of the Constitution of Kedah Darul Aman also states that the hereditary heir to the throne and the government of Kedah Darul Aman must be the eldest son of the late Sultan Badlishah, after whom the next in line to the Sultanate is the eldest male on the male side who is available and alive at the time.

Article 9 of the Laws of the Constitution of Kedah Darul Aman states that the decision to install an heir to the throne of Kedah Darul Aman will be determined by the Installation Committee (Majlis Mengangkat Raja). According to Article 10 of the Laws of the Constitution of Kedah Darul Aman, the Installation Committee must be made up of:

	a)	The Menteri Besar, who is also the President of the Committee;
	b)	Other Members of the State Executive Council;
	c)	Four male members of the Kedah Royal Family, appointed by the reigning Sultan according to his own consideration and judgment, and given formal letters of appointment which are signed by the Sultan himself and affixed with the State's seal and published in the Government Gazette; and
	d)	Five male members who are not members of the Kedah Royal Family, one of whom must be the President of the Kedah Islamic Council, and not less than one other who is well versed in Islamic Laws, to be appointed by the reigning Sultan according to his own consideration and judgment and given a letter of appointment with his own Royal signature affixed with the government's seal and published in the Government Gazette.