AMMAN — The Lower House, chaired by Speaker Mazen Qadi on Monday, approved the amended Civil Status Law of 2026 by a majority vote, endorsing its four articles as recommended by the House Legal Committee.

 

Article 1 was approved without amendment, stipulating that the law shall be cited as the “Amended Civil Status Law of 2026” and shall be read in conjunction with Law No. 9 of 2001 and its amendments as a single, unified legislative framework.

 

MPs also endorsed Article 2, which introduces amendments to Article 39 of the original law by restructuring its provisions and adding a clause granting formal legal recognition to digital identity.

 

The amendment defines digital identity as the electronic version of the national ID card and accords it full legal validity for all purposes stipulated under the law and applicable legislation.

 

It also provides that digital identities verified through applications approved by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship shall be accepted in official and administrative transactions.

 

The provision integrates digital identity into the Kingdom’s legal framework, supporting the expansion of e-government services and reducing reliance on physical documents, according to the Cabinet.

 

As for Article 3, MPs approved amendments proposed by the Legal Committee to Paragraphs (A) and (B), reducing the financial penalty for repeated loss of civil status documents from JD100 to JD25.

 

The article replaces Article 55 of the original law in full, granting the Director of the Civil Status and Passports Department, or any authorised official, the authority to require applicants for replacement documents, including lost national ID cards or family books, to submit written financial undertakings.

 

Under the revised provisions, a first-time loss requires the applicant to sign an undertaking to pay JD10. In the case of a second loss within three years, a replacement document would only be issued after settling the initial amount and submitting a second undertaking of JD30, in addition to applicable fees.

 

For further repeated losses within the validity period, the applicant must fulfil the second undertaking and submit a new commitment, with the penalty adjusted to JD25 in line with the Legal Committee’s amendments, alongside the prescribed fees.

 

Article 4 was also approved in accordance with the Legal Committee’s recommendation. It replaces Paragraph (A) of Article 56 of the original law, requiring all Jordanians aged 18 and above to register their residential address with the Civil Status and Passports Department, including a designated digital mailing address. Citizens are also obliged to report any change of address within 30 days.

 

The article defines the digital mailing address as one established through electronic means, in accordance with directives to be issued by the Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship.

 

The Cabinet said the bill’s explanatory memorandum, approved in its March 11 session, aligns with broader government efforts to modernise public administration and advance digital transformation programmes.

 

The amendments aim to recognise digital identity as an officially accepted means of identification alongside the physical ID card, granting it equal evidentiary value and ensuring the validity of its data.

 

The law also obliges public and private entities to accept digital identity in accordance with its provisions and implementing regulations.

 

The draft law was referred to the House Legal Committee on March 30, which endorsed it on April 1.