Category: Law Updates

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning (MHUP) published in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette a new Governance Regulation of Land Planning Controls that replaces the Governance Regulation of Land Planning Controls of 2013. This was done to comply with the requirements of the new Oman National Spatial Strategy.

The Tender Board published in today’s issue of the Official Gazette a brand new Regulation Governing Government Projects that formally adopts the quality gate approach for managing projects carried out by entities subject to the provisions of the Tender Law.

The Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) published in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette a new Working System of Oman Commercial Arbitration Centre (OAC) that replaces the Working System of OAC of 2019.

The Tax Authority (TA) published in this week’s Official Gazette Ministerial Decision 521/2023 Amending Some Provisions of the Executive Regulation of the Value Added Tax Law. This decision adds a new article 196bis, which provides for new additional cases in which VAT can be refunded that are set out in the schedule attached to the decision.

Oman’s first ever Public Debt Law was promulgated last week and was made available to the public in the Official Gazette today. This new law mostly provides a general governance framework of how the government plans to make decisions regarding the management of public debt and introduces a limited set of actual controls on government debt.

The full-text of the new Tourism Law was published in the Official Gazette today replacing the old Tourism Law of 2002. The new law simplifies the legal framework for tourism by abolishing the National Tourism Committee as well as the Tourism Development Fund, consolidates the various concepts for tourism offices and tour guides into tourism activities, removes references to the timeshare system, and increases the value of the fines that can be imposed against those who violate the law.

The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MOHT) published in this week’s Official Gazette Ministerial Decision 1152/1/2/255/2023 Amending Some Provisions of the Executive Regulation of the Tourism Law. This decision amends article 117 of the regulation concerning tourism fee fines.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) published in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette a new Regulation Governing the Activity of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Drones) that replaces the Regulation Governing Practising the Aerial Activity and Aerial Works Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle of 2020.

The Capital Market Authority (CMA) published in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette a new Regulation Governing Electronic Linkage of the Health Insurance System that sets the legal framework for using its Dhamani electronic insurance system.

The Central Bank of Oman (CBO) published in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette a new Regulation of the Returned Direct Debit and Cheques System that replaces the Regulation of the Returned Cheques System of 2007.