Sunday 02 / November / 2025
Muscat: His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik issued Royal Decree No. (92/2025), enacting the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This marks a significant step that reflects the Sultanate of Oman’s steadfast commitment to preserving the dignity and rights of persons with disabilities and reinforces the approach of empowering and fully integrating them into sustainable development pathways.
The issuance of the law aligns with His Majesty’s noble directives to establish a new sector at the level of Undersecretary within the structure of the Ministry of Social Development. This sector will oversee efforts to enhance services provided to persons with disabilities, address challenges facing this group, and ensure their empowerment and effective integration to strengthen their role in building society and facilitate access to education at all levels.
This law represents a landmark legislative milestone that affirms Oman’s direction toward promoting justice, equality, and equal opportunity for all segments of society. It guarantees full rights for persons with disabilities without discrimination and enhances their active participation, integration, and empowerment in society in line with national policies and international conventions and standards related to disability rights.
The law comprises 77 legal articles divided into five chapters, covering definitions and general provisions, and the rights of persons with disabilities across seven key areas: civil rights, education, health, social inclusion, culture and sports, economic participation, and employment. It also includes chapters on rehabilitation, the National Committee for Persons with Disabilities, and penalties.
The law defines persons with disabilities as individuals with long-term impairments in physical, mental, intellectual, sensory, or social functions that may hinder their interaction with environmental or personal barriers, preventing full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. It also defines those most in need as persons with disabilities who are vulnerable to physical, emotional, economic, or psychological exploitation or deprivation due to old age, chronic health conditions, social status, environmental factors, or other reasons.
The law guarantees the enhancement of disability rights and prohibits discrimination based on disability or gender. It aims to empower individuals with disabilities to integrate into various fields and achieve equal opportunities. It also seeks to remove environmental barriers that may hinder their enjoyment of rights, with special attention to those most in need, ensuring protection, care, and rehabilitation to promote independence and active participation.
Additionally, the law mandates the creation of a National Registry for Persons with Disabilities. Guardians are required to register individuals with disabilities according to specified procedures. The Ministry will issue official identification cards for registered individuals, which serve as legal documents under the law. Article (7) obligates relevant entities to provide qualified sign language interpreters as outlined in the regulations, ensure electronic services are accessible via Braille, and allocate financial resources to enable persons with disabilities to enjoy their rights. The law also affirms that its provisions do not override any other laws granting preferential rights to persons with disabilities.
Chapter Two: Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Chapter Two of the law outlines the rights of persons with disabilities, encompassing civil, health, educational, social, cultural, sports, economic, and employment rights.
Regarding civil rights, the law guarantees persons with disabilities the enjoyment of all public rights and duties as stipulated in the Basic Law of the State and applicable legislation, without discrimination. It ensures their right to litigation, requiring relevant authorities to take necessary measures to facilitate access to justice. The law also safeguards personal freedom, security, and safety, prohibits any restriction of liberty due to disability, and protects individuals from violence, exploitation, and abuse, while preserving their dignity, reputation, and honor.
The law further affirms the political participation of persons with disabilities by facilitating procedures that enable their candidacy and voting in elections, and ensuring their representation on the boards of associations that serve their interests. It promotes access to public services, including educational, cultural, religious, sports, and commercial buildings, as well as banking services, mandating inclusive design that meets their needs. It supports independent living and active participation in daily life by removing barriers to physical environments, transportation, information, and communication, thereby enhancing full societal integration.
In the realm of education and academic support, the law guarantees the right to education for persons with disabilities across all types and levels, on an equal basis with others, and prohibits denial of this right due to disability. It includes the allocation of a percentage of scholarships and grants for undergraduate and postgraduate studies within and outside the Sultanate. Integration programs are to be established to enable learning alongside peers in various educational institutions. The law also mandates the development and implementation of inclusive educational policies and programs targeting individuals aged 4 to 22, ensuring equal learning opportunities and fostering social inclusion from early education through higher education.
In terms of health and care, the law ensures access to preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative healthcare services that fully meet the needs of persons with disabilities. This includes providing appropriate medical equipment in their residences and specialized healthcare for women with disabilities during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. Authorities are required to conduct early screening for genetic diseases and disabilities, provide necessary medical aids, and encourage their local production.
The law strictly prohibits medical or pharmaceutical experiments on persons with disabilities and forbids any medical intervention preventive or therapeutic without their free consent or, in non-emergency cases, the consent of their legal guardian.
As for economic rights, the law grants customs and tax exemptions for assistive devices imported by rehabilitation centers, advisory centers, associations, and civil institutions, as well as equipment used for their activities or imported by individuals with disabilities for personal use. It also exempts vehicles designated for personal use by persons with disabilities and those imported by disability-related entities. Legal exemptions include court fees across all types and levels for persons with disabilities or their legal representatives, as well as exemptions related to licensing buildings exclusively serving them, modifying existing buildings for accessibility, and launching businesses owned by persons with disabilities.
The law pays special attention to employment and labor, mandating that institutions with forty or more employees in both public and private sectors allocate 5% of their jobs to persons with disabilities. It also provides for a two-hour daily reduction in working hours with full pay for employees with disabilities, or for non-disabled employees who care for a parent, child, or spouse with moderate or severe disabilities.
Social and Family Rights
The law guarantees a range of social and family rights for persons with disabilities. It affirms their right to enter into marriage with full consent and on equal footing with others in forming a family. The law prohibits the separation of a child from either parent solely because the child or one of the parents has a disability.
Support from relevant authorities includes monthly financial assistance for persons with disabilities who are unable to work, as well as priority access to land and housing aid. Authorities are also tasked with establishing regulations and requirements for constructing suitable housing units and ensuring these homes are equipped to provide a dignified and independent life.
National Committee for Persons with Disabilities
The law establishes the National Committee for Persons with Disabilities, chaired by the Minister of Social Development. This committee is responsible for developing general plans and national strategies related to disability rights and services.
Commenting on the law, Hamoud bin Mardad Al-Shubeibi, official spokesperson for the Ministry of Social Development, stated: “The issuance of the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities reflects the noble attention His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik may God protect and preserve him – gives to these citizens of our nation. It underscores the importance of creating a comprehensive legal framework that guarantees the rights of all members of society and supports efforts to improve and elevate the services provided to persons with disabilities.”
He added: This law represents a qualitative addition to the national legislative system, aligning with relevant international conventions and ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities across civil, educational, health, social, cultural, sports, and economic domains. It also empowers them with the right to rehabilitation, employment, and positive participation in the development journey.”
He concluded: “The law serves as a reference framework from which all state institutions can launch initiatives to enhance the quality of services for persons with disabilities and ensure the sustainability of efforts aimed at creating an inclusive, integrated, and empowering environment. It guarantees equal opportunities and strengthens their full and active participation in building the nation and contributing to its progress and prosperity.”
