Author: Aram Al-Bahri

Aram Al-Bahri is a Legal Associate at Decree. She holds an LLB Law Degree from the University of Leeds. She works in the area of labour and corporate law and has expertise in the field of policymaking.

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Commentary

MJLA Transitional Requirements for Admitting Advocates Before Primary Courts

The new Advocacy and Legal Consultancy Law has recently entered into force bringing into effect major changes to the way the legal profession in Oman is regulated, including new examination requirements for Omani lawyers wishing to practise as advocates who plead before the courts. The Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs has issued new regulations and guidelines to provide more details on what these exams would entail. This blog post will highlight some details that are found in the new Arabic language guide that the MJLA issued concerning the transitional requirements for advocates who have registered before the entry into force of the new law and who would complete their two-year training requirements before 3 October 2025.

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Law Updates

MJLA Issues Its First System for Training Advocates

The new Advocacy and Legal Consultancy Law entered into force earlier this month and has brought with it substantial changes to the way the legal profession operates in Oman. One of these key changes requires advocates to complete different sets of exams and continuous development programmes to move up the rolls of advocates for different court levels.

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Law Updates

New Electronic Transactions Law Issued

A new Electronic Transactions Law was issued last week, repealing the Electronic Transactions Law of 2008 and carefully refining the scope to which electronic transactions can be relied upon in Oman.

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Law Updates

TRA Issues Guideline on Environmental Sustainability for the Postal Sector

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) recently published on its website a non-binding Guideline for Enhancing the Contribution of the Postal Sector in Preserving the Environment and Reducing Harmful Emissions.

This guideline is based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and prescribes a number of actions under different headings that postal companies can adopt to reduce their carbon emissions. For example, under the heading Vehicles and Means of Transport, it is suggested that postal companies should ensure that an annual percentage is set for converting their delivery vehicles to modern and environmentally friendly vehicles.

Even though this guideline is not legally binding, it is highly recommended that postal companies consider them, especially as the guideline states that the TRA will issue—in cooperation with other government entities—directives with implementation targets and timelines.

You can read this guideline in full in English on the link below:

Guideline for Enhancing the Contribution of the Postal Sector in Preserving the Environment and Reducing Harmful Emissions
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Law Updates

MOSD’s New Elderly Day Care Centres Regulation

The Ministry of Social Development published in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette a new Governance Regulation for Elderly Day Care Centres which provides the legal framework for establishing and operating a day care centre for the elderly.

According to the new regulation, a person wishing to establish a day care centre for the elderly must obtain a licence from the MOSD. Applicants for this licence can be natural persons, companies, or civil associations. Applicants are required to provide a bank guarantee of 3,000 Rial Omani when submitting their applications except for civil associations.

The regulation sets the obligations of the licensee to include preparing internal regulations of the day care centre and appointing a Omani person as the manager of the centre.

You can read this regulation in full in English on the link below:

Ministry of Social Development: Ministerial Decision 344/2024 Issuing the Governance Regulation for Day Care Centres for the Elderly
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Law Updates

EA Issues Amendment to Environmental Permits Regulation

The Environment Authority (EA) issued in this week’s Official Gazette Decision 187/2024 Amending Some Provisions of the Regulation Governing Environmental Permits, which amends articles 12 and 21 of the regulation. 

Article 12 of the regulation sets out that a financial guarantee must be provided to the authority when applying for an environmental permit for specific projects. As per the amendment, a financial guarantee of 250,000 Rial Omani must now be provided for oil and gas production projects per site.

Article 21 of the regulation sets out certain obligations of the project owner. As per the amendment, project owners are now required to submit an environmental audit study for specific projects. These projects include oil refineries, heavy industries, and oil and gas production, among others.

You can read this amendment in full in English on the link below:

Environment Authority: Decision 187/2024 Amending Some Provisions of the Regulation Governing Environmental Permits

You can also read the consolidated version of the Regulation Governing Environmental Permits on the link below:

the Regulation Governing Environmental Permits (CONSOLIDATED)
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Law Updates

SPF Sets Categories Subject to Maternity Leave Insurance Branch

In accordance with article 127 of the Social Protection Law, the branch of maternity leave insurance applies compulsorily to all Omanis working in Oman, but this article left determining the extent to which it applies to non-Omanis to a decision by the Board of Directors of the Social Protection Fund. Beneficiaries of this insurance branch are entitled to 98 days of paid maternity leave.

This week’s issue of the Official Gazette included a decision by SPF on this matter, and it stipulates that the maternity leave insurance branch applies compulsorily to non-Omanis working in the government as well as those working in private sector establishments to whom the Labour Law applies.

You can read the text in full in English at the link below: 

DECISION C/10/2024 DETERMINING THE CATEGORIES SUBJECT TO THE BRANCH OF MATERNITY LEAVE INSURANCE FOR NON-OMANI WORKERS

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Law Updates

Ban of Plastic Shopping Bags

The Environment Authority issued this week Decision 8/2024 Banning the Use of Plastic Shopping Bags as part of the efforts of the government to protect the environment. This decision repeals Decision 23/2020, which previously outright banned all single-use plastic bags.

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Article

Data Protection Officers Under the Data Protection Law and Regulation

The Personal Data Protection Law requires that all controllers identify a personal data protection officer and that the information of this officer is communicated to data subjects prior to processing any of their data. The specific details required for the implementation of this obligation have now been clarified in the Executive Regulation of the Personal Data Protection Law. This blog post will highlight the key elements of this obligation.

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Article

Employer’s Obligations Under the New Executive Regulation of the Social Protection Law

The Social Protection Fund issued less than two weeks ago the Executive Regulation of the Social Protection Law, which provides a number of key clarifications for implementing the Social Protection Law. This regulation covers a variety of social protection aspects that relate to all branches of social protection benefits and social insurance provided by the law. This post will highlight some of the most significant obligations imposed on employers by the regulation.

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