Article 5 of the Saudi Social Security Law
المادة 5 من نظام الضمان الاجتماعي · الباب الثاني: التقديم وتحديد الاحتياج
The article assigns the Ministry to collect data on the situations of independent persons and families and examine them to estimate entitlement, from applications and the data of government bodies, associations, civil institutions, and others.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تتولى الوزارة جمع البيانات لمعرفة حالات المستقلين والأسر ودراستها لغرض تقدير الاستحقاق، وذلك من خلال الطلبات المقدمة إليها والبيانات الإضافية التي لدى الجهات الحكومية ذات العلاقة والجمعيات والمؤسسات الأهلية وغيرها.
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 5 explained in plain English
This article specifies the Ministry's role in examining cases before entitlement is decided. The Ministry is the one that collects data to learn the situations of independent persons and families and examines them in order to estimate whether they are entitled to the pension.
The sources of this data, under the text, are:
- Applications submitted to the Ministry.
- Additional data held by the relevant government bodies.
- Data held by associations and civil institutions.
- Other sources.
This means that estimating entitlement does not rest on the application alone, but on a full picture the Ministry gathers from multiple sources. An "independent person" under Article 1 is someone who has reached 18 years or more, lives in a separate dwelling, and has his own support, and a "family" is a breadwinner and one or more dependents living in one dwelling.
This article follows Article 4, which makes submitting the application consent to the Ministry obtaining information relating to it from government or private bodies, so the two articles complement each other: the first grants the permission, and this one specifies the Ministry's task of collecting and examining. After the examination, the Ministry notifies the applicant of its decision to accept or to reject with reasons within 20 days under Article 6.
Practical example
A family in Hail applied for a pension. The Ministry does not rely only on what is in the application; it collects additional data from the relevant government bodies, and may use data from a charity that has previously helped the family, and then examines the case to estimate its entitlement.
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 5 of the Saudi Social Security Law
Where does social security gather applicants' information from?
From the applications submitted, the additional data held by the relevant government bodies, and associations, civil institutions, and others.
Does the Ministry rely only on my application to estimate entitlement?
No. The article assigns it to collect data and examine cases from the application and from additional sources for the purpose of estimating entitlement.
Do charities share data with social security?
The article mentions associations and civil institutions among the data sources the Ministry relies on in examining cases.
More articles on Applying for Social Security
- Article 3
The article requires the pension application to be submitted to the competent department of the Ministry with supporting data and documents, and leaves the procedural details and documents to the Implementing Regulations.
تُقدم طلبات المعاش إلى الجهة المختصة في الوزارة، متضمنة البيانات والمستندات اللازمة التي تدعم طلب المعاش. وتحدد اللائحة إجراءات تقديم الطلب والبيانات والشروط وا
- Article 4
The article treats submitting a pension application as the applicant's consent to the Ministry obtaining information relating to it from government or private bodies.
يعد تقديم طلب المعاش موافقة على حصول الوزارة على المعلومات المتعلقة به من الجهات الحكومية أو الخاصة. وتحدد اللائحة الإجراءات المتبعة في ذلك.
- Article 6
The article requires the Ministry to notify the applicant within 20 days of submission of its decision to accept the application under the entitlement criteria or to reject it with reasons.
تُبلغ الوزارة مقدم الطلب خلال (عشرين) يومًا من تاريخ تقديمه بقرارها بقبول الطلب وفقًا لمعايير الاستحقاق، أو برفضه مع التسبيب. وتحدد اللائحة الإجراءات المتبعة في
- Article 7
The original applicant and the beneficiary must notify the Ministry within 15 days of any change in their circumstances that affects entitlement to the pension or its amount.
على مقدم الطلب الأصيل والمستفيد إبلاغ الوزارة بأي تغيير في أوضاع أي منهما يؤثر على استحقاقهما للمعاش أو مقداره، وذلك خلال (خمسة عشر) يوماً من تاريخ التغيير.
- Article 8
The article requires the Ministry to follow up regularly on the beneficiary's situation to verify continued entitlement to the pension and the correctness of its amount, and refers its regulation to the Regulations.
على الوزارة القيام بمتابعة منتظمة لحالة المستفيد للتأكد من مدى استحقاقه للمعاش ومقداره. وتحدد اللائحة الأحكام المنظمة لذلك.
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.