Non-Cancellable Direct Debit in Oman: What It Is and Where to Complain

A non-cancellable (irrevocable) direct debit lets a lender or other beneficiary keep collecting agreed amounts from your bank account, and you cannot stop it on your own. In August 2025 the Royal Oman Police (ROP) said it would accept complaints about this tool at police stations in the governorates. It sits under the National Payment Systems Law, Royal Decree 8/2018. We last checked on 6 November 2026 and found no change to that channel, though we also found no published procedure beyond the original announcement.

What the law says

The ROP's announcement summarised these articles of the law:

• Definition (Article 32): a payment order that debits the payer's account for the benefit of a named recipient, at that recipient's request.
• Revocable or not (Article 33): a person can issue one to settle a debt, and the regulations decide whether it can be revoked.
• Guarantee (Article 34): the issuer guarantees payment, and any clause waiving that guarantee is void.
• Refusal (Articles 35 and 36): if the account has enough money, the bank cannot refuse to pay, even after the presentation deadline. If it still refuses, it must record the refusal with the time of presentation and the amount, and the statement must be dated and signed. The beneficiary can request that record freely.

How it works in practice

The law firm BSA explains that an irrevocable mandate needs the payer's written application and the beneficiary's approval. Once signed, it can be changed or suspended only if both agree in writing. The bank can end it alone only in narrow cases, for example the payer's death or incapacity, or an account freeze. Banks use it mostly for loans where the salary is not transferred directly to the lender, to collect each instalment. BSA adds that some banks use an irrevocable mandate together with a single security cheque.

A mandate has to state whether it is revocable, identify the parties, name the bank, and set out the amount, frequency and dates, and the payer must sign it.

What happens on default

BSA summarises the consequences as follows:

• Criminal: issuing a direct debit without enough funds, or blocking its payment without a legitimate reason, is punishable by one to two years in prison and a fine of OMR 100 to 500. BSA says the treatment mirrors dishonoured cheques.
• Civil: the beneficiary can sue to recover the amount, accrued sums and court-set compensation.
• Central Bank listing: under a 2023 CBO regulation on returned direct debits and cheques, banks report returns to a central warning list. People on it can lose their chequebook, be refused new current accounts and have direct debit services suspended for a year.

BSA notes that it found no published Omani court rulings yet on enforcing direct debit mandates, so how courts will treat disputes is still untested.

If you have a problem

1. Read your signed mandate and keep a copy. Check whether you agreed to an irrevocable one.
2. Raise it with the bank and the beneficiary first and ask for written confirmation of the amount, dates and any refusal statement.
3. Go to a police station if you want to lodge a complaint under the ROP channel. The announcement does not say who qualifies or what documents to bring, so ask at the station.

This post is general information, not legal advice. If a large sum or a criminal complaint is involved, get advice from a lawyer in Oman. For banking basics see the blog and our move guide.