ROP Issues Amendments to the Civil Status Law

Merge 104.8  |  24 October 2021

The ROP isued an executive decision, amending parts of the Civil Status Law. According to the new law,  an identity card and residency card must be issued within 30 days from the date a person reached the age of ten for both Omanis and non-Omanis, or 30 days from the date the resident enters the country is he/she is over the age of ten.

The card will be valid for a period of five years for citizens and a period not exceeding three years for residents.

The amendments also covered the fees for the issuance of the card:

• OMR 5 for issuing/renewing a new Civil ID or Resident Card.
• OMR 10 to replace a lost/damaged Civil ID Card.
• OMR 20 to replace a lost/damaged Resident Card.

The presence of the person concerned is required for the issuance/renewal/replacement of the card, for both citizens and residents, and exceptions will only be made in certain cases.

As for the documents required for the issuance/renewal/replacement of a Civil ID, the person will be asked to submit his/her:

• Original birth certificate.
• The original ID card of the parents.
• The letter of the competent authority for the person with the Omani nationality.

And for the Resident Card, the person will need to submit:

• His/her original passport.
• A notification from the competent authority.
• A copy of the original expired card (in the case of renewal of the Resident Card)

In terms of the picture, citizens must wear the official Omani dress, and foreigners must dress appropriately, as per the rules set by the Director-General.