GOSI Adds Seven Languages to Website and App

The General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) has announced the addition of seven new languages to its website and GOSI app, a move designed to help customers who do not speak Arabic or English better access its digital services. The announcement, released via the Saudi Press Agency, marks a significant step in the Kingdom’s ongoing effort to make public services more inclusive for its diverse resident population and international workforce.

The new languages are Urdu, Bengali, Filipino, Hindi, Sinhala, Nepali, and Indonesian. According to official information, the move aims to provide a more user-friendly digital experience for speakers of these languages, enabling them to browse the platforms and understand their insurance rights and obligations in their mother tongues. It will also facilitate the completion of related procedures and requests, reducing barriers that non-Arabic and non-English speakers have historically faced when navigating social insurance services. Why does this matter for millions of residents? Because access to clear, understandable information about insurance rights is a fundamental part of a fair and functioning social protection system.

Context and Background

GOSI is the Kingdom’s principal social insurance institution, responsible for administering social protection schemes that cover retirement, work injury, and unemployment insurance for eligible workers. Over the decades, it has grown into one of the most important pillars of Saudi Arabia’s welfare architecture, serving millions of contributors and beneficiaries. As the Saudi labor market has expanded and diversified, so too has the linguistic profile of the workforce that GOSI serves. How can a single institution communicate effectively with people from dozens of linguistic backgrounds? The answer, increasingly, lies in thoughtful digital localization.

Saudi Arabia has long been a destination for workers from South Asia and Southeast Asia, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, and the Philippines. These communities have contributed significantly to the Kingdom’s development across construction, healthcare, retail, domestic work, and many other sectors. For many of these residents, Arabic and English are not first languages, and navigating complex administrative procedures in either language can be challenging. The expansion of GOSI’s digital platforms into seven additional languages reflects a recognition that inclusivity is not merely a courtesy but a practical necessity for a modern, service-oriented public institution.

The announcement also comes amid a broader national push toward digital transformation under Vision 2030, which prioritizes e-government, ease of doing business, and quality of life for all residents. GOSI’s move aligns with this agenda by ensuring that digital services are not just available but genuinely accessible. Why is accessibility so central to digital transformation? Because technology only delivers its full value when every user can understand and act on the information presented to them.

Expanded Access and the Seven New Languages

The seven languages selected—Urdu, Bengali, Filipino, Hindi, Sinhala, Nepali, and Indonesian—are spoken by large segments of the Kingdom’s expatriate workforce. Urdu and Hindi serve many workers from Pakistan and India, Bengali serves the Bangladeshi community, Filipino supports workers from the Philippines, Sinhala and Nepali serve Sri Lankan and Nepali communities respectively, and Indonesian serves workers from Indonesia. The selection is not arbitrary; it reflects a data-driven understanding of which language groups most need support to engage with GOSI’s services independently.

By offering content in these languages, GOSI enables users to understand their insurance rights and obligations without relying on intermediaries or informal translation. This is particularly important in matters related to work injury compensation, pension entitlements, and contribution requirements, where misunderstandings can have serious financial consequences. What difference does clarity make in a system built on mutual obligation? It builds trust, reduces disputes, and ensures that contributors can plan for their future with confidence.

The GOSI app and website serve as the primary digital entry points for millions of interactions each year, from checking contribution records to submitting claims and updating personal details. Expanding language support across these platforms is therefore a high-impact intervention. It complements existing efforts to improve user experience, streamline procedures, and reduce the need for in-person visits to service centers. In this sense, the language expansion is part of a continuous improvement cycle in which feedback from users informs tangible enhancements.

International and Regional Impact

For sending countries across South and Southeast Asia, GOSI’s language expansion sends a positive signal about the treatment of their nationals working in Saudi Arabia. Embassies and consulates frequently receive requests for assistance on social insurance matters, and clearer, multilingual digital services can reduce the volume of such requests while improving outcomes for workers. Does this enhance Saudi Arabia’s reputation as a responsible destination for international labor? Indeed, it reinforces the Kingdom’s growing profile as a modern, service-oriented economy that values the well-being of all who contribute to its development.

Regionally, the move positions GOSI as a leader among Gulf social insurance institutions in digital inclusivity. Other countries in the region face similar demographic realities and may look to Saudi Arabia’s approach as a model. The emphasis on multilingual access also aligns with international best practices in public service delivery, which stress the importance of meeting users where they are—linguistically, culturally, and technologically. How can institutions measure success in this area? Through higher engagement rates, fewer service errors, and greater user satisfaction among previously underserved groups.

Economic and Strategic Significance

From an economic standpoint, a more efficient and accessible social insurance system supports labor market stability and productivity. When workers understand their rights and obligations, compliance improves, disputes decline, and administrative overhead falls. This has downstream benefits for employers as well, who benefit from a workforce that is better informed and less prone to costly misunderstandings. Could clearer communication actually strengthen the entire social contract? There is strong reason to believe it can, by making the system more transparent and predictable for all parties.

Strategically, the language expansion supports the Kingdom’s efforts to attract and retain international talent as part of its diversified economic ambitions. Major giga-projects and growing sectors require a workforce drawn from around the world, and the quality of public services is a factor in how attractive the Kingdom is as a place to work and live. GOSI’s initiative is thus a small but meaningful contribution to a larger goal: making Saudi Arabia a destination of choice for global talent. Why invest in something as seemingly mundane as a website translation? Because the cumulative effect of many such improvements shapes the overall experience of living and working in the Kingdom.

Vision 2030 Alignment

GOSI’s addition of seven languages to its website and app is closely aligned with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s comprehensive national transformation plan. Vision 2030 emphasizes the importance of digital government, efficient public services, and an inclusive society that serves all residents. By making social insurance information accessible in the mother tongues of millions of workers, GOSI is contributing directly to these goals. The initiative reflects a broader philosophy that modernization must benefit everyone, not just a select few.

The move also supports the Vision 2030 theme of enhancing quality of life, which encompasses access to clear information and fair treatment for all. As Saudi Arabia continues to build a diverse, dynamic economy, the institutions that serve its residents must evolve accordingly. GOSI’s language expansion is a concrete example of that evolution—a thoughtful, user-centered innovation that strengthens the social protection system and reinforces the Kingdom’s commitment to inclusive, world-class public services. How will future generations look back on this period of transformation? They will see a nation that invested in its people, in every language they speak.

20 Questions

Q1. What did GOSI announce regarding its website and app?

A1. GOSI announced the addition of seven new languages to its website and GOSI app, aimed at helping customers who do not speak Arabic or English better access its digital services, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Q2. How many new languages were added and what are they?

A2. Seven new languages were added: Urdu, Bengali, Filipino, Hindi, Sinhala, Nepali, and Indonesian. These reflect the linguistic profiles of major expatriate communities in the Kingdom.

Q3. Why did GOSI add these specific languages?

A3. The languages correspond to large segments of the workforce from South and Southeast Asia. The selection supports GOSI’s goal of a more user-friendly digital experience.

Q4. What is the main purpose of adding new languages to GOSI platforms?

A4. The move aims to provide a more user-friendly digital experience, enabling speakers to browse GOSI’s platforms and understand their insurance rights and obligations in their mother tongues, and to facilitate related procedures.

Q5. Who benefits from the new language offerings?

A5. Customers who do not speak Arabic or English, particularly workers from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Indonesia, benefit from clearer access to social insurance information.

Q6. What is GOSI responsible for?

A6. GOSI is the Kingdom’s principal social insurance institution, administering schemes covering retirement, work injury, and unemployment insurance for eligible workers.

Q7. How does this move affect non-Arabic and non-English speakers?

A7. It enables them to understand their insurance rights and obligations in their mother tongues, complete procedures and requests, and navigate GOSI’s platforms with greater ease.

Q8. What platforms are affected by the language expansion?

A8. GOSI’s official website and the GOSI app are affected, both serving as primary digital entry points for services such as checking contribution records and submitting claims.

Q9. When was the announcement made and by which source?

A9. The announcement was released in Riyadh in October 2026 via the Saudi Press Agency, which reported GOSI’s decision to expand language support.

Q10. How does this initiative align with Saudi Vision 2030?

A10. It aligns with Vision 2030’s emphasis on digital government, efficient public services, and an inclusive society that serves all residents, contributing to quality of life and accessibility.

Q11. What is the significance for the expatriate workforce in Saudi Arabia?

A11. It provides clearer access to insurance information for millions of expatriate workers, reducing barriers and enhancing understanding of their rights and obligations.

Q12. What types of procedures will be easier to complete?

A12. Procedures related to insurance rights and obligations, such as checking contribution records, submitting claims, updating personal details, and understanding entitlements.

Q13. Does the move affect all GOSI services?

A13. The language expansion applies to GOSI’s website and app, which are primary digital access points for a wide range of services.

Q14. How might this affect GOSI’s operational efficiency?

A14. Clearer communication can reduce misunderstandings and disputes, lower administrative overhead, and improve compliance, contributing to greater operational efficiency.

Q15. Why is digital inclusivity important for public institutions?

A15. Digital inclusivity ensures all users can understand and act on information, which is essential for fair, transparent, and effective public service delivery.

Q16. What does this mean for Saudi Arabia’s international reputation?

A16. It signals that the Kingdom values the well-being of all residents, reinforcing its profile as a modern, service-oriented economy attractive to international labor.

Q17. Are there plans for further language additions?

A17. The announcement did not specify future additions. GOSI continues to improve its digital services based on user needs and feedback.

Q18. How can users access the new language options?

A18. Users can select their preferred language on the GOSI website or GOSI app to browse information and complete procedures in that language.

Q19. What role does the Saudi Press Agency play in this news?

A19. The Saudi Press Agency, the Kingdom’s official news agency, reported GOSI’s announcement, ensuring accurate and authoritative dissemination of the information.

Q20. What is the broader significance of this expansion?

A20. It reflects a user-centered approach to public service and supports Saudi Arabia’s goals of an inclusive society, digital government, and improved quality of life for all residents.

---