Khaberni - The House of Representatives, by a majority vote, approved a bill amending the Civil Status Law for the year 2026, comprising four articles.
The council, during a session held on Monday, chaired by the Speaker of the Council Mazen Al-Qadi, and attended by members of the governmental team, endorsed the decision of the Legal Parliamentary Committee concerning the first article, approving it as stated in the amended bill.
The article states: "This law shall be named (Amendment to the Civil Status Law for the year 2026) and shall be read in conjunction with Law No. 9 of 2001 referred to hereinafter as the original law and any amendments thereto as a single law, and shall come into force from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette."
Additionally, during the session chaired by Deputy Speaker of the Council Ibrahim Al-Sarayrah, the "Deputies" agreed on an article endorsing the digital identity, which refers to the electronic version of the personal identification card, in accordance with the decision of the Legal Parliamentary Committee.
The second article, as stated in the amended bill, specifies: "Article 39 of the original law shall be amended by considering what is stated therein and adding subparagraph (b) with the following text: b- 1. Digital identity confirmed on approved electronic applications by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship shall be adopted for all purposes stipulated in this law and the enforceable legislations. 2. For the purposes of applying the provisions of subparagraph (1), the digital identity shall refer to the electronic version of the personal identification card."
Whereas Article 39, as stated in the original law, specifies: "The personal identification card shall be considered as proof of identity and evidence of the accuracy of the information stated therein, and no governmental or non-governmental entities shall refuse to recognize it."
Regarding the third article, as stated in the amended bill, the "Deputies" endorsed a decision by its Parliamentary Committee, which agreed on subparagraph (a) "after deleting the word (thirty) and replacing it with (fifteen), and also subparagraph (b) after deleting the phrase (one hundred dinars) and replacing it with (twenty-five dinars)"
This article states: "The text of Article 55 of the original law shall be repealed and replaced with the following text: a- The director or his delegate, in writing, may impose on a person requesting a replacement for a lost personal identification card or a lost family register to submit a written commitment to pay an amount of ten dinars for the first time, and if a person loses his personal identification card or family register for the second time within three years, then he shall not be issued a replacement for either of them except after paying the amount of the first commitment and submitting a second written commitment to pay an amount of thirty dinars in addition to the fees specified in this law. b- In the event of the loss of the personal identification card or family register after the second time and during the validity period of either, the director or his delegate, in writing, may impose on a person requesting a replacement for a lost personal identification card or a lost family register to submit a written commitment to pay an amount of one hundred dinars, and he shall not be issued a replacement for either of them except after paying the amount of the second commitment specified in subparagraph (a) in addition to the fees stipulated in this law."
While Article 55, as stated in the original law, specifies: "a. The director or his delegate, in writing, may impose on a person requesting a replacement for a lost card or a lost register to provide a certified surety by the notary public for an amount not less than ten dinars and not more than fifty dinars for the first time, and if a person loses his personal identification card or family register for the second time within three years, then he shall not be issued a replacement for either of them unless he pays the surety replacement. b. The director or his delegate, in writing, may replace the judicial surety specified in subparagraph (a) of this article with a written commitment against an amount of ten dinars if a person requests a replacement for a lost personal identification card or a lost family register."
As for the fourth article, as stated in the amended bill, the House of Representatives approved it, thus aligning with the decision of the Legal Parliamentary Committee.
This article states: "The text of subparagraph (a) of Article (56) of the original law shall be repealed and replaced with the following text: a- 1. Every Jordanian who is over eighteen years of age must declare his address at the department, including his personal digital mail address, and must notify the department of any change in the declared address within thirty days of the change. 2. For the purpose of item (1) of this subparagraph, the digital mail address refers to the address specified by digital means in accordance with instructions issued by the Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship for this purpose."
Whereas Article 56, as stated in the original law, specifies: "a - Every Jordanian who is over eighteen years of age must declare his address at the department within two years from the effective date of the provisions of this amended law and must notify the department of any change in this address within thirty days from the date of the change. b - The department shall record the declared addresses in accordance with the provisions of subparagraph (a) of this article in a special database. c. Notwithstanding any other legislation, the declared address shall be adopted for the purposes of judicial and administrative notifications and financial notifications issued by ministries, departments, governmental institutions, public institutions, and municipalities. d. The department shall collect an amount of ten dinars in case of non-compliance with the provisions of subparagraph (a) of this article. e - 1. The department may take the fingerprint of any Jordanian or resident in the Kingdom for this purpose and shall establish a special database for it. 2. Courts, ministries, departments, establishments, public institutions, and municipalities, or any other entity approved by the minister, may use the data related to the fingerprint specified in item (1) of this subparagraph for their operations. f - The minister shall issue, based on the director’s recommendation, the necessary instructions for the implementation of the provisions of this article."
The House of Representatives agreed, on March 30 last, to refer the "Civil Status Amendment" to the Legal Parliamentary Committee, which in turn approved it on the first of the current month.
The reasons for the bill, which was approved by the Council of Ministers during a session held on March 11 last, are in line with the governmental directions supporting the development of public administration, and implementing digital transformation programs by introducing the concept of digital identity within the legislative framework regulating the work of the Department of Civil Status and Passports.
The "Civil Status Amendment" aims to establish an explicit legal validity for digital identity; as an officially recognized means of identification, alongside the personal identification card issued by the department, giving it the same legal effect in proving and adopting the information contained therein, and obligating governmental and private entities to adopt it according to the provisions of the law, and the regulations and instructions issued by virtue of it.
This amendment aims to enable citizens to carry out their transactions electronically in a secure, reliable, and legal manner; and to ensure the protection, safety, and confidentiality of personal data.
This project also aims to establish a legal basis for regulating the form,content, and mechanism of issuing and using digital identity, achieving integration between traditional and digital means, keeping up with technical developments and the best international practices in the field of digital identity and electronic transactions.
