Comparison
Read two legal systems against each other
Because every portal follows the same fifteen-section outline, the comparison is genuinely like-for-like rather than a collage of whatever each government happens to publish.
Select up to six documented jurisdictions
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| Attribute | SpainReviewed | JordanReviewed | OmanReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Civil law with Islamic law influence | Mixed (civil law and Islamic law) |
| System of government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Unitary constitutional monarchy | Unitary absolute monarchy |
| Constitution | Spanish Constitution | Constitution of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan | Basic Law of the State |
| In force since | 1978 | 1952 | 1996 |
| Capital | Madrid | Amman | Muscat |
| Official languages | Spanish | Arabic | Arabic |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Jordanian dinar (JOD) | Omani rial (OMR) |
| Population | 48,400,000 | 11,300,000 | 4,600,000 |
| Division of powers | A constitutional monarchy with the King as head of state, an executive led by the President of the Government, a bicameral parliament and an independent judiciary, overlaid by extensive regional self-government. | Unitary, with twelve governorates administered by centrally appointed governors and elected municipal and governorate councils. The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority holds delegated regulatory powers within its area, which functions as a limited territorial carve-out rather than devolution. | Unitary. Eleven governorates headed by appointed governors, with municipal councils holding advisory functions over local services. No legislative competence exists below the national level. |
| How law is made | Bills pass both chambers of the Cortes Generales, with the Congress of Deputies able to override the Senate, and receive royal assent. | Bills go to the House of Representatives first, then the Senate, with disagreements resolved in joint session by a two-thirds majority. The King ratifies, or may return a bill with reasons within six months, which the Assembly may override by two-thirds of each chamber. Provisional laws may be issued when the Assembly is not sitting, but the 2011 amendments narrowed this to urgent matters and require prompt submission to the Assembly. | Draft legislation is prepared by ministries and the Council of Ministers, may be referred to the Council of Oman for review, and takes effect on the Sultan's signature and publication in the Official Gazette. The Majlis al-Shura may propose legislation and question ministers, and its role was modestly strengthened after 2011, but it cannot enact or block a royal decree. |
| Legal profession | Abogados belong to local bar associations (colegios de abogados); procuradores represent parties procedurally and notaries authenticate deeds and company acts. | A single profession of lawyers admitted by the Jordan Bar Association after a law degree and a two-year traineeship, with compulsory membership and a graded right of audience by seniority. The Bar is self-governing and disciplines its members. Sharia court advocacy is a separate licensed track, and notarial functions are performed by court-based notaries public rather than an independent notariat. | Advocacy is regulated by the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs; Omani nationality is required for rights of audience, and foreign lawyers practise as consultants within licensed firms. Pleadings are in Arabic. Judges are appointed by royal decree on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council. Notarisation is required for real property dispositions, and land registration is administered by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning. |
A comparison table flattens nuance by design. Where a difference matters to a decision you are making, open both portals and read the section in full — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.