The Ministry of Labour published in yesterday’s issue of the Official Gazette Ministerial Decision 523/2025 Regarding the Governance of Remote Work which sets the general rules for remote work in Oman.
The new decision sets employer and employee obligations in the remote work environment. Employer obligations including matters such as providing the equipment required for remote work and bearing the costs for their installation and maintenance as a default position unless agreed otherwise with the worker. The new decision also prohibits employers from violating the privacy of their workers when employers monitor the performance of remote workers. Workers also have obligations under this new decision such as an obligation to carry out the work assigned to them during the agreed working hours.
One of the most interesting aspects of this MOL decision is that it only recognises remote work conducted within the Sultanate of Oman and prohibits employers from hiring workers working remotely outside the Sultanate. This, of course, has no restrictions on the ability of an employer in the Sultanate of Oman to hire independent contractors working remotely outside the country, the law merely does not recognise this as employment under the Labour Law.
The Ministry of Labour Decision 523/2025 Regarding the Governance of Remote Work has already entered into force. You can read it in full in English on the link below along with our compliance toolkit: