New regulations for home business in Oman

Muscat: Qais bin Muhammad Al Yousuf, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, issued Ministerial Resolution 473/2022, regulating the practice of home business.

As per the regulation, it is allowed to engage in home business only after obtaining a license from the ministry in coordination with the competent authority. The home businesses should correct their status within 6 months from the date of its enforcement of this decision.

To obtain the license, the following conditions are required – the license applicant must be of Omani nationality, the age of the license applicant should not be less than 18 years, and the license applicant should not have another license to practice any commercial, professional, craft or industrial activity, as well as payment of the prescribed fee.

The decision says that the application should be submitted to the ministry electronically, accompanied by the following – the title deed of the place of activity, the lease contract, or the approval of the homeowner in the event that the house belongs to others, as well as attaching the Civil ID or passport, and specifying the production work to be licensed.

The license will be issued for a period of three years for a fee of RO3 and it may be renewed for other similar periods with the same procedures and conditions, provided that the renewal request is submitted within 30 days before the expiry of the license period.

The licensee is obligated to abide by the legislation regulating the licensed domestic production activity, to abide by the regulations governing the licensed activity by the competent authority, to be familiar with the practice of licensed home businesses, not to employ foreign manpower, not to transfer the license to others, even temporarily, and not to place any advertising or promotional billboards.

On the house or the external walls, it is allowed to put a small board at the entrance to the house, showing the name of the licensee, the license number, the type of activity, and the phrase “homebusiness” provided that its area does not exceed 30 cm by 60 cm and the panel should be flat.

It is also prohibited for the licensee to practice the activity after the expiry date of the license, as well as to practice the activity in a place other than the place where the work is licensed.

An administrative fine of RO100 riyals is imposed on the licensee in case of violating the provisions of this regulation, after being warned in writing by the competent authorities of the reasons for the violation, and giving him a period of three days to remove it, and the fine is doubled in the event of a repeat violation. The Ministry may, after the expiry of the aforementioned period (3 months) without removing the violation, cancel the license.