Premarital screening certificates valid for only six months: MoH

Muscat: Premarital screening certificates issued in Oman are valid for only six months from the date of medical testing, after which infectious disease tests must be repeated, the Ministry of Health (MoH) clarified.

According to MoH, the certificate is issued once both parties have completed the required examinations, received their test results and undergone medical counselling.

The screening covers hereditary blood disorders, including sickle cell disease and beta thalassaemia, as well as infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis.

It applies to Omanis planning to marry inside or outside the Sultanate of Oman, as well as non-Omanis intending to marry an Omani partner.

Meanwhile, the ministry has notified marriage registrars to refrain from concluding a marriage contract unless both parties present a valid Premarital Screening Certificate.

Failure to comply with this requirement may result in legal accountability as per the Royal Decree 111/2025 concerning the regulation of premarital screening.

For those wishing to undergo premarital medical examinations outside the Sultanate of Oman, the tests must conform to those approved by the Ministry of Health in the Sultanate of Oman, and the original laboratory results report must be certified. 

A certificate stating the absence of diseases is not sufficient. These tests include the Complete Blood Count (CBC) test, Hemoglobinopathy Panel (HPLC) - Test for hemoglobinopathies or their equivalent, Sickle Cell Solubility Test, Serum Ferritin Test, Human Immunodeficiency Virus Test (HIV), Hepatitis B virus surface antigen test, (Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Test - HBsAg), Hepatitis C virus antibody test, (Hepatitis C Virus Antibodies Test - HCV Ab) and Rapid Plasma Reagin Test for Syphilis (RPR/VDRL).

Both parties are obligated, in accordance with Royal Decree No. 111/2025, to undergo a premarital medical examination, according to the procedures stipulated by the Omani Ministry of Health, whether the examination is conducted within or outside the Sultanate of Oman, before concluding the marriage contract.

All laboratory tests for hereditary blood disorders and infectious diseases, as stipulated by the Ministry of Health, must be conducted at an accredited health institution in the country where the examination is being performed for the party undergoing the examination outside the Sultanate of Oman.

The results of the medical examination must be certified by the health institution where the examination was performed, the competent health authority in that country, and the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

To obtain a premarital medical examination certificate, parties must visit one of the government health institutions accredited by the Omani Ministry of Health to verify and document the test results and receive premarital medical counseling, until the premarital medical examination service is activated on the electronic health platform.

Marriage contractIssuing a marriage contract document through the Notary Public Platform requires a digital copy of the premarital medical examination certificate.

Therefore, individuals whose premarital medical examination certificates were issued with manually entered information must visit the health care institution that issued the certificate to replace it with a digital copy in order to complete the procedures for issuing the marriage contract document.

The issuance of a Marriage Contract Document through the Notary Public Platform requires the availability of a digital copy of the Premarital Screening Certificate.

Accordingly, individuals whose Premarital Screening Certificates were issued with information entered manually are required to visit the health-care institution that issued the certificate to have it replaced with a digital version, in order to complete the procedures for issuing the Marriage Contract Document.