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How to start a business in Oman as a foreigner (2026)

Starting a business in Oman as a foreigner: moderate.

Oman permits up to 100% foreign equity in most commercial sectors following the Foreign Capital Investment Law (Royal Decree 50/2019), which removed the previous Omani-partner requirement. Company formation is handled digitally through the MOCIIP Invest Easy portal with a typical end-to-end timeline of 2-4 weeks. A ministerial negative list (Ministerial Decision 209/2020, since expanded to 123 activities) reserves specific sectors, primarily traditional crafts, small retail, and local services, exclusively for Omani nationals, and a minimum share-capital obligation applies to mainland LLCs.

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Legal framework

Foreign Capital Investment Law (Royal Decree 50/2019) and Commercial Companies Law (Royal Decree 18/2019), administered by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MOCIIP) via the Invest Easy e-portal (business.gov.om)

Key points: starting a business in Oman

  1. Foreign ownership ceiling

    Up to 100% foreign equity is permitted across most sectors under Royal Decree 50/2019. Ministerial Decision 209/2020 (now covering 123 activities following subsequent expansions) reserves certain sectors, including traditional Omani crafts, specific retail categories, taxi services, hair-dressing, and small service trades, exclusively for Omani nationals or their companies.

    decree.om decree.om tamimi.com investmentpolicy.unctad.org

  2. Available company structures

    The Limited Liability Company (LLC, 2-50 shareholders) is the standard vehicle for foreign investors; a Single-Person Company (SPC) is available for sole owners. Both structures permit 100% foreign ownership outside negative-list activities and are registered under the Commercial Companies Law (Royal Decree 18/2019).

    decree.om e.fsa.gov.om practiceguides.chambers.com

  3. Minimum share capital

    The Commercial Companies Law (RD 18/2019) imposes a general LLC minimum capital of OMR 20,000 (approx. USD 52,000), fully paid up at registration. Regulated sectors such as banking, insurance, and finance carry higher statutory minimums. Free-zone entities (e.g., Sohar, Duqm, Salalah) may operate under lower or zero capital-floor requirements.

    e.fsa.gov.om decree.om

  4. Registration steps and timeline

    Formation involves: (1) trade-name reservation on the Invest Easy portal; (2) drafting and notarising the Memorandum/Articles of Association; (3) depositing capital in an Omani bank; (4) electronic submission to MOCIIP with lease agreement, shareholder IDs, and MOA; (5) Oman Chamber of Commerce registration; (6) tax-card issuance; (7) labour-ministry enrollment. The full process typically takes 2-4 weeks; MOCIIP data show 89% of commercial activities are approved automatically without manual review.

    business.gov.om business.gov.om tejarah.gov.om

  5. Invest Easy digital portal

    The Invest Easy portal (business.gov.om), operated by MOCIIP, integrates more than 50 government services, including name reservation, commercial registration, municipal licensing, and chamber enrollment, into a single electronic window. In 2024 alone, over 827,000 transactions were processed through the portal, a 15% year-on-year increase.

    business.gov.om tejarah.gov.om

  6. Physical office requirement

    A registered commercial office address in Oman is mandatory for mainland registration; a signed and municipality-registered lease agreement must be submitted as part of the MOCIIP application package. Virtual offices are generally not accepted for standard mainland commercial registrations.

    business.gov.om practiceguides.chambers.com

Sources

  1. decree.om/2019/rd20190050/
  2. decree.om/2019/rd20190018/
  3. decree.om/2020/mociip20200209/
  4. business.gov.om/wps/portal/
  5. business.gov.om/ieasy/wp/en/services/newcr/
  6. e.fsa.gov.om/Content/PDF/NewCommercialCompaniesLawEn.pdf
  7. tamimi.com/news/oman-foreign-investment-definitive-list-of-prohibited-activities
  8. tejarah.gov.om/en/media/news/kapdeds6capkqqvm4ufoayp1
  9. practiceguides.chambers.com/practice-guides/doing-business-in-2025/oman
  10. investmentpolicy.unctad.org/investment-policy-monitor/162/oman

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Orientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026