Article 1 of the Saudi Civil Retirement Law
المادة 1 من نظام التقاعد المدني
The Article defines the key terms of the Civil Retirement Law, such as employee, public body, retiree, pension, gratuity, pensioner and beneficiary.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يًقصد بالاصطلاحات الآتية - حيث وردت في النظام - المعاني المعرفة بها هنا:-
الموظف : من تربطه بالدولة أو الهيئات العامة علاقة لائحية لها صفة الدوام، ويشمل هذا اللفظ الموظف والمستخدم، كما يدخل في مفهومه الوزراء ونوابهم وشاغلو المرتبة الممتازة.
الهيئة العامة : كل شخص إداري له ذمة مالية مستقلة، ويشمل هذا اللفظ فيما يشمل المؤسسات العامة والبلديات وأي مؤسسة ينص نظامها على خضوع منسوبيها لنظام التقاعد المدني.
مجلس الإدارة : مجلس إدارة صندوق التقاعد.
الصندوق : صندوق التقاعد المدني.
المصلحة : مصلحة معاشات التقاعد .
المتقاعد : الموظف الذي انتهت خدمته.
المعاش : المبلغ الذي يصرف شهريًا بموجب هذا النظام للمتقاعد أو المستحقين عنه.
المكافأة : المبلغ المقطوع الذي يصرف بموجب هذا النظام للمتقاعد.
صاحب المعاش : المتقاعد الذي تقرر له معاش بموجب هذا النظام، ويشمل هذا اللفظ الموظف الذي توفي وتقرر له معاش بموجب هذا النظام.
المستحق : الشخص الذي تقرر له معاش بسبب قرابته من صاحب المعاش.
وتفسر الألفاظ الواردة في التعاريف بمعانيها المعرفة بها في هذه المادة، كما يشمل لفظ المذكر والمؤنث ولفظ المفرد والجمع ما لم يقتض السياق غير ذلك.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 1 explained in plain English
This Article is the definitions article of the Civil Retirement Law. Its importance is that each term defined in it is understood in the specific sense given here wherever it appears in the Law, unless the context requires otherwise.
- Employee: anyone who has a statutory relationship of a permanent nature with the State or public bodies. It includes employees and hired staff, and covers ministers, their deputies and holders of the Excellent grade.
- Public body: any administrative person with an independent financial liability, including public institutions, municipalities and any institution whose law provides that its personnel are subject to the Civil Retirement Law.
- Board of directors, the Fund and the Agency: the board of directors of the Pension Fund, the Civil Retirement Fund, and the Retirement Pensions Agency.
- Retiree: an employee whose service has ended.
- Pension: an amount paid monthly to the retiree or to those entitled through him, whereas a gratuity is a lump sum paid to the retiree.
- Pensioner: a retiree for whom a pension has been determined, and it includes an employee who died and for whom a pension has been determined.
- Beneficiary: a person for whom a pension has been determined because of his kinship to the pensioner.
The Article also provides that the masculine includes the feminine, and the singular includes the plural, unless the context requires otherwise. This definition is linked to Article 2, which specifies who is covered by the provisions of the Law.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 1 of the Saudi Civil Retirement Law
What is the difference between a pension and a gratuity in the Civil Retirement Law?
A pension is an amount paid monthly to the retiree or to those entitled through him, whereas a gratuity is a lump sum paid to the retiree.
Are ministers included in the definition of employee?
Yes. The Article provides that the concept of employee includes ministers, their deputies and holders of the Excellent grade.
Who is a beneficiary under the Civil Retirement Law?
A beneficiary is a person for whom a pension has been determined because of his kinship to the pensioner.
More articles on Persons Covered by the Civil Retirement Law
- Article 2
The Article defines who is covered by the Civil Retirement Law, namely Saudi civilian employees appointed to grades, with rules for those holding more than one grade and for ministers who receive monthly allowances.
تسري أحكام هذا النظام على جميع الموظفين السعوديين المدنيين المعينين على مراتب في الميزانية العامة للدولة أو ميزانيات الهيئات العامة ، على أنه إذا شغل الموظف أكث
- Article 10
The Agency is liable only for pensions and retirement entitlements that fell due under this Law and the 1378 and 1381 AH retirement laws; the Ministry of Finance or the public body bears those that fell due under earlier laws.
لا تلتزم معاشات التقاعد إلا بالمعاشات والعائدات التقاعدية التي تكون قد استحقت وفقًا لأحكام هذا النظام ونظامي التقاعد لعامي 1378 و 1381هـ. أما المعاشات والتعويضا
- Article 11
The Article transfers the rights and obligations under the 1381 AH retirement law to this Law, and increases existing pensions by graduated percentages, up to a maximum of SAR 2,000.
تنتقل الحقوق والالتزامات المترتبة على النظام الصادر بالمرسوم الملكي رقم (6) في 19 /2 /1381هـ إلى هذا النظام. كما تزاد المعاشات المستحقة بموجب أنظمة التقاعد المد
- Article 33
The Ministry of Finance or the public bodies pay a percentage of the salaries of hired staff in service when the Law took effect, for their earlier service, 9% for those who did not join the 1381 AH retirement law and 6% for those who did.
تدفع وزارة المالية والاقتصاد الوطني أو الهيئات العامة حسب الأحوال عن المستخدمين الموجودين في الخدمة وقت نفاذ هذا النظام الخاضعين عند نفاذه للأحكام المنصوص عليها
- Article 36
The article provides that where a pensioner who became entitled to the pension before this Law took effect dies after it took effect, the beneficiaries are treated under the provisions of this Law.
إذا توفي بعد نفاذ هذا النظام صاحب معاش استحقه قبل نفاذه، فيعامل المستحقون عنه وفقًا لأحكام هذا النظام.
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.