Citizen Account: 4 cases for registering the wife as the primary beneficiary

The Citizen Account Program reiterated the controls and standards that govern the registration process in the program, highlighting the special cases in which the wife is allowed to apply for registration as a “primary beneficiary” instead of being a dependent of the husband, within the framework of the program’s keenness to ensure that support reaches its actual beneficiaries and covers all needy segments.

The four cases for registering the wife as the primary beneficiary

The program clarified via its official account on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter) that the default registration is for the husband to be the head of the household, but there are 4 exceptional cases that grant the wife the full right to register as the primary beneficiary, which are:

• Absent husband: In the event of an official report proving the husband's absence.
• The husband is incapacitated: if the husband suffers from a health or mental condition that deprives him of legal and legitimate capacity.
• Non-Saudi husband: A female citizen married to a foreign man has the right to register in her name and add the husband and children as dependents.
• Imprisoned husband: If the husband is serving a prison sentence, the wife has the right to take over the family's financial affairs in the program.

Program context and strategic objectives

Launched in December 2017, the Citizen Account Program is a cornerstone of the social protection system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its establishment was a proactive step within the framework of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 reforms, aiming to mitigate the direct and indirect impacts of various economic reforms, such as energy and water price adjustments and the implementation of value-added tax (VAT). The program focuses on redirecting government benefits to those truly in need, ensuring efficient government spending and equitable distribution.

The social importance of empowering the wife

These clarifications are of paramount social importance, reflecting the flexibility of Saudi regulations in addressing diverse humanitarian and social circumstances. Allowing the wife to register as the primary beneficiary in the aforementioned cases (such as imprisonment or loss of legal capacity) ensures that financial support for the family is not interrupted during times of greatest need, and protects children from destitution due to the absence of the primary breadwinner. This measure reinforces the concept of social security and affirms that support is linked to the family's needs and its very existence, regardless of unforeseen circumstances that may prevent the husband from fulfilling his role.

How to find out the reasons for ineligibility via the application

In a related matter concerning electronic services, the program outlined simplified steps that enable beneficiaries to access details of their eligibility status and the reasons for rejection, if any, to facilitate the process of submitting appeals and updating their information. Beneficiaries can follow these steps:

• Log in to the official Citizen Account application on smartphones.
• Click on the “Eligibility” icon located at the bottom of the application interface.
• When the eligibility status appears, the “Details” option is pressed.
• The system will display the ineligibility code along with a detailed explanation of the reason for the rejection, allowing the beneficiary to rectify the error and submit the required documents.