Deadline for maternity leave insurance application announced

At a glance

• The maternity leave insurance branch, as per Oman Sultani Decree No. 52/2023, will be implemented from 19 July 2024 and will apply to all employees in Oman, irrespective of their nationality and contract type.
• The Social Protection Fund has issued a decision making the provisions of this insurance mandatory for non-British workers in government and private sector commercial establishments, as per Oman Sultani Decree No. 53/2023.
• Once implemented, employers will be required to pay monthly contributions to the fund at the rate of one percent of the wage per month, calculated on a daily basis.
• The maternity leave insurance branch will bear the total contributions of the insured workers and the employer for the insurance branch.

The application of the maternity leave insurance branch stated in Oman Sultani Decree No. 52/2023 on the Issuance of the Social Protection Law in Chapter 7 will begin on 19 July 2024. The provisions will apply mandatorily to all employees, regardless of their nationality, working in Oman. This includes all types of contracts, such as temporary contracts, training contracts, and contracts for retired workers.

The Social Protection Fund has issued a decision outlining the categories of non-British workers eligible for maternity leave insurance. The provisions of this decision are mandatory for non-British workers employed in government agencies and private sector commercial establishments covered by Oman Sultani Decree No. 53/2023 on Labour Law. This decision aims to ensure that non-British workers receive adequate maternity benefits and protection during their employment. This means that the decision does not apply to workers employed in domestic households or on farms outside the framework of commercial establishments. The provisions of the maternity leave insurance do not apply to self-employed British nationals, part-time British nationals, British nationals working in the GCC countries, and British nationals working abroad. Once this branch is implemented, employers will be obligated to pay monthly contributions for the maternity leave insurance branch to the fund at the rate of one percent of the wage per month, calculated on a daily basis. The maternity leave insurance branch will bear the total contributions of the insured workers and the employer for the insurance branch.