The Arabian Stories, 5 April 2026: Oman’s Social Protection Fund issues new rules clarifying how the loss of insured persons and pensioners is formally established, reshaping access to allowances and pension entitlements.

Oman’s Social Protection Fund has issued Oman Decision No. C/4/2026, setting out updated procedures for proving the loss of insured persons or pensioners whose whereabouts are unknown and whose life or death cannot be verified. The decision was approved by the Fund’s Board of Directors and issued under the Oman Sultani Decree No. 52/2023 on the Issuance of the Social Protection Law.

Under the new framework, a disappearance must be reported to the competent police authority, which will issue an official report and certificate detailing the individual’s identity, date of disappearance and circumstances. Employers are required to notify the Fund immediately once a disappearance is confirmed, after which eligible beneficiaries or legal representatives may apply for a monthly allowance upon submission of the police documentation.

The decision further provides that if the missing person’s status remains unresolved for four years, or if death is later confirmed judicially or factually, the date of disappearance will be treated as the date of service termination for pension calculation purposes. The new rules replace earlier provisions issued in 2010 and will enter into force following publication in the Official Gazette.

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