Family Law
Marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance, and domestic violence protections under Oman's Personal Status Law and Ibadi Islamic jurisprudence.
Covered in this guide:
Oman family law sits under the Personal Status Law (Royal Decree 32/1997), applied through Sharia courts using Ibadi Islamic jurisprudence — distinct from Sunni and Shia rules on divorce, inheritance, and shares. Marriage needs mutual consent, mahr, the bride's wali, mandatory premarital medical screening, and court registration; minimum age is 18. Divorce comes through talaq, khul', or judicial dissolution. Custody follows the best interests of the child — mothers usually keep boys until 7 and girls until 9. Oman has no standalone domestic-violence statute: family abuse is prosecuted under the assault and ill-treatment provisions of the Penal Code (Royal Decree 7/2018), with children separately protected by the Child Law (Royal Decree 22/2014).
Key Laws
Royal Decree 32/1997
Personal Status Law
Marriage, divorce, custody, maintenance, and inheritance under Ibadi jurisprudence
Royal Decree 7/2018
Penal Code
Assault, threat, and ill-treatment offences used to prosecute family abuse — Oman has no standalone domestic-violence law
Royal Decree 22/2014
Child Law
Protection of children from abuse, neglect, and exploitation
Basic Statute of the State
Royal Decree 6/2021 (replaced the 1996 Basic Statute, RD 101/96)
Constitutional protections for family and social welfare
Marriage Requirements and Registration
Oman's Personal Status Law sets clear rules for marriage, reflecting Ibadi Islamic jurisprudence:Minimum age: Both parties must be at least 18 years old. A judge may allow marriage below 18 in...
Divorce Procedures
Oman's Personal Status Law recognises several types of divorce under Ibadi Islamic jurisprudence:Talaq (husband-initiated): The husband may pronounce divorce. Under Ibadi rules, it must be registered...
Child Custody (Hadana)
Oman's Personal Status Law governs child custody (hadana) after divorce based on Ibadi principles:Mother's priority: The mother generally has first right to custody of young children. If the mother...
Child Support and Maintenance
Oman law requires parents to financially support their children under Ibadi maintenance rules:Father's obligation: The father is primarily responsible for providing nafaqah (maintenance) for his...
Inheritance Rules
Inheritance in Oman follows Ibadi Islamic (Sharia) rules as codified in the Personal Status Law — these differ from Sunni and Shia calculations in certain family configurations:Fixed shares: The...
Domestic Violence Protections
Oman has not enacted a dedicated domestic-violence law. Unlike Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia — each of which has a standalone family-protection statute — Oman prosecutes abuse inside the family...
Guardianship
Guardianship (wilaya) in Oman covers legal authority over a person or their property under Ibadi jurisprudence:Guardianship of the person: The father is the natural guardian of his minor children....
Personal Status for Non-Muslims
Non-Muslim residents in Oman have specific rules for family matters that differ from the Ibadi Sharia framework:Marriage: Non-Muslim expatriates can marry according to their own religious or civil...