Category: Law Updates

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.

The Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs published the executive regulation of the new Advocacy and Legal Consultancy Law in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette. This new regulation introduces further controls on the practice of the legal profession in Oman and provides implementation details for the Advocacy and Legal Consultancy Law.

The new Financial Law was published in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette repealing the Financial Law of 1998.

Last week, a new Law of Special Economic Zones and Free Zones was issued replacing the 20+ years old Law of Free Zones. The new law covers traditional free zones, such as the Sohar Free Zone, as well as the more comprehensive special economic zones, such as the Special Economic Zone at Duqm.

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: