Decree Blog
The new Omani Nationality Law was published in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette which repeals the Omani Nationality Law of 2014 and lowers the requirements for obtaining Omani nationality.
The Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology (MTCIT) published Decision 6/2025 in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette extending the deadline for complying with the provisions of the Executive Regulation of the Personal Data Protection Law by one additional year.
Entities subject to this regulation were originally required to comply with its provisions by February 2025, and this new amendment changes this deadline to February 2026.
Even though this technically relates to the Executive Regulation and not the actual Personal Data Protection Law, which in theory entered into force in February 2023, the extension of the deadline for complying with the executive regulation effectively means that neither the law or the regulation will not be enforced in Oman until February 2026.
You can read the consolidated version of the Executive Regulation of the Personal Data Protection Law by clicking on the link below:
His Majesty Sultan Hitham issued yesterday Royal Decree 11/2025 amending article 71 of Omani Penal Law. The previous text of article 71 gave the courts the power to stay the execution of a punishment, i.e. choose not to implement it, if the circumstances of the convict justify this (such his age or the history of his behaviour).
The new amendment to article 71 of the Penal Law limits the ability of the court to choose not to implement a punishment by stipulating that this power of the court is only available in regard to punishments other than those relating to state security crimes, offenses that undermine the stature of the state, or terrorism and terrorism financing crimes.
This means that if someone is convicted in one of these newly listed crimes, the court has no choice but to implement the punishment imposed against them and the judge will not have the power to stay the execution of these punishments no matter the circumstances of the convict.
This new amendment will enter into force next week. You can read the full texts of Royal Decree 11/2025 in English on the link below:
In October last year, the Central Bank of Oman (CBO) issued a circular on “Promoting Sustainable and Green Financial Practices“. The circular clarifies the phases in which ESG should be implemented in banks, with the circular itself being part of “Phase 2: Regulatory Expectations 2024”. The next phase is going to be during the period 2025-2027, and is named “Phase 3: Implementation and Monitoring”.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology (MTCIT) issued a new Ship and Port Facility Security Regulation, which repealed the Ship and Port Facility Security Regulation of 2016.
Both regulations are based on the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code), which Oman ratified by Royal Decree 63/2004. The new regulation comprehensively updates the governance of ship and port facility security. For example, it incorporates a new structure for port facility security verification, introduces new obligations for different stakeholders, establishes a new framework to license private companies to carry out certain tasks related to ship and port facility security including ship security verification, and imposes administrative fines that the MTCIT can impose if the regulation is not complied with.
You can read the decision in full in English on the link below:
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:
The Environment Authority published in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette a new Regulation for Noise Control in the Public Environment that replaces an old regulation on the same topic from 1994.
The new regulation completely overhauls the framework for controlling noise generated by business operations in public places (such as construction, mining, and airports), creates a classification for noise levels for daytime vs nighttime without reference to working days and holidays, introduces new duties on project owners to take noise measures and carry out noise modelling as part of environmental impact studies, and sets new administrative penalties of up to 500 rials for those who violate the regulation.
It is worth noting that this regulation repeals the old Regulation on Noise Control in the Public Environment of 1994, but does not repeal the Regulation on Noise Control in the Work Environment of 1994, which continues to remain in force.
The new Regulation for Noise Control in the Public Environment enters into force tomorrow. You can read it in full in English on the link below:
The Ministry of Labour (MOL) published in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette a new regulatory decision that governs the temprary transfer of non-Omani manpower between private sector establishments. This is a brand new area of regulation that did not exist in the past that sets the requirements for transferring non-Omani workers and imposes obligations on the establishment the worker is transferred to along with other matters.
Under this new decision, for a transfer to be legal, the worker must consent to the transfer, the profession to which the worker is transferred must not be an Omanised profession, and the two entities involved in the transfer must comply with Omanisation percentages. There are also other requirements relating to the visa of the worker, the duration of the transfer, and the overall percentage of workers transferred between the entities involved. Other matters governed by this new decision include pay, the nature of the new position, and other general rights and obligations.
It is important to note that there is a legal requirement to register the transfer of the worker with the Ministry of Labour.
This new decision has already entered into force. You can read it in full in English on the link below:
The Ministry of Labour (MOL) issued in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette a new decision regarding the Wage Protection System that repeals a previous decision from 2023 regarding the same topic.
The Wage Protection System is a framework created by the MOL that makes it a legal requirement for all employers in Oman to transfer the salaries of their workers using a specific electronic system through banks and other financial institutions licensed by the Central Bank of Oman. The objective of this system is to ensure that the salaries of workers are paid on time and that there is an electronic record of the transfer of the salaries.
Key changes in the new system include reducing the timeframe for transferring the wages of workers from 7 days to 3 days and introducing new grounds for the exemption from using the wage protection system such as situations where a worker is suspended from work for a reason not attributable to the employer for a period exceeding 30 days.
The new Wage Protection System has already entered into force. You can read it in full in English on the link below:
The Ministry of Energy and Minerals (MEM) published in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette a decision to establish Oman Net Zero Centre as a department in the MEM.
The Oman Net Zero Centre will not be an independent government entity, but a department in the MEM at the level of a directorate general. The decision details the mandates of Oman Net Zero Centre which include preparing and updating the national plan for transition to net zero, providing support and advice to relevant entities and institutions with the aim of achieving net zero targets, preparing the national plan to enhance energy consumption efficiency, approving and registration application for trading in carbon credits, among other functions.
You can read this MEM decision in full in English on the link below: