Article 2 of the Saudi GCC Insurance Protection Extension Law
المادة 2 من النظام الموحد لمد الحماية التأمينية لمواطني دول مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية العاملين في غير دولهم في أي دولة عضو في المجلس · الباب الأول: التعاريف والأحكام العامة ونطاق التطبيق
The article provides that the civil retirement and social insurance laws in force in each GCC state apply to its nationals working in the other GCC states.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تطبيقا لأحكام هذا النظام ، تسري قوانين / نظم التقاعد المدني / التأمينات الاجتماعية السارية في دول المجلس على مواطنيها العاملين في دول المجلس الأخرى .
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 2 explained in plain English
This is the basic rule on which the whole Unified Law rests.
The rule: the civil retirement and social insurance laws or systems of each GCC state apply to its nationals working in the other GCC states.
What does this mean? A GCC national who works in another GCC state remains covered by the retirement or insurance system of his home state, that is, the state whose nationality he holds, and not that of the state where he works.
According to the definitions in Article 1:
- The home state is the GCC state whose nationality the employee or worker holds.
- GCC nationals are the employees or workers who hold the nationality of a GCC state and work outside their own state in a member state.
The rationale is that a GCC national does not lose the insurance protection provided by the law of his state merely because he moves to work in another GCC state.
This article alone does not set out the conditions for coverage or the insurance branches included, nor the method of registration and contribution. Article 3 entrusts the application of the Law to the civil retirement and social insurance bodies in the GCC states.
To apply this to a specific case, it is advisable to consult a lawyer who specializes in social insurance and retirement laws.
Practical example
Ahmed is a Bahraini national who works for a company in Riyadh. Under this article, the social insurance law of Bahrain, his home state, applies to him, not the system of the state of the workplace.
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 2 of the Saudi GCC Insurance Protection Extension Law
Is a GCC national working in Saudi Arabia covered by his own country's insurance?
Yes. The civil retirement and social insurance laws of the GCC states apply to their nationals working in the other GCC states.
What is meant by the home state?
Under Article 1, it is the GCC state whose nationality the employee or worker holds.
More articles on Definitions and Scope of Extended Insurance Protection
- Article 1
The article defines the terms of the Unified Law Extending Insurance Protection, including the state of the workplace, the home state, GCC nationals, retirement and insurance bodies, the civil servant, the worker and the employer.
في تطبيق أحكام هذا النظام يقصد بالكلمات والعبارات التالية مايلي : 1 - النظام : النظام الموحد لمد الحماية التأمينية لمواطني دول مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية
- Article 3
The article entrusts the application of the Unified Law Extending Insurance Protection to the civil retirement and social insurance bodies in the GCC states.
يعهد إلى أجهزة التقاعد المدني / التأمينات الاجتماعية في دول المجلس تطبيق هذا النظام .
- Article 19
The article applies all the provisions of the home state's retirement or insurance law to the employee or worker on matters with no specific provision in the Law, to the extent they do not conflict with it.
تسري على الموظف / العامل كافة الأحكام الواردة في قانون / نظام التقاعد المدني / التأمينات الاجتماعية في الدولة موطن الموظف / العامل ، وذلك فيما لم يرد بشأنه نص خ
- Article 21
The article provides that the Law does not affect any rights or benefits guaranteed by the laws of the state of the workplace to employees or workers, unless those laws provide otherwise.
لا يمس هذا النظام أية حقوق أو مزايا تكفلها القوانين / الأنظمة السارية في الدولة مقر العمل للموظفين / للعمال، ما لم تنص تلك القوانين / الأنظمة على خلاف ذلك .
- Article 23
The article obliges the member states to work on issuing the legislation needed to apply the Law so that its provisions take effect from 1 January 2006.
على الدول الأعضاء بالمجلس العمل على إصدار التشريعات اللازمة لتطبيق هذا النظام بما يكفل سريان أحكامه اعتبارا من الأول من يناير 2006م .
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.