Premarital screening for citizens marrying abroad

Times News Service 

MUSCAT: The Ministry of Health has outlined the medical screening and certification procedures for people planning to marry outside Oman, regardless of whether their prospective spouse is an Omani citizen or a foreign national.

Under Royal Decree 111/2025, both parties must undergo premarital medical screening before the marriage contract is concluded, in accordance with procedures prescribed by the ministry. The requirement applies whether the tests are conducted in Oman or abroad.

Those undergoing screening outside Oman must complete all laboratory tests specified by the ministry for hereditary blood disorders and infectious diseases at an accredited healthcare institution in the country concerned.

The test results must be attested by the healthcare institution that conducted the tests, the competent health authority in that country and Oman’s Foreign Ministry .

To obtain a premarital screening certificate, applicants must subsequently visit a government healthcare institution approved by the Ministry of Health in Oman. The institution will verify and document the results and provide premarital medical counselling.

The ministry said these arrangements would remain in effect until the premarital screening service is activated on the electronic health platform.

It has also published a list of 40 approved government healthcare institutions across Oman’s 11 governorates where laboratory results issued abroad can be verified and documented.

The ministry said the procedures are intended to ensure that premarital screening results obtained abroad are properly verified and documented before a certificate is issued in Oman.