Muscat: In a bid to boost ease of doing business in the Sultanate of Oman, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion has started giving issuance of country of origin certificates for the Arab countries, Singapore and European Free Trade Area countries.
The service is offered online through “Invest Easy” portal and aimed to facilitate procedures for companies operating in the field.
The introduction of this service is aimed to accelerate online issuance of certificates of country of origin without the need for physical presence at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion.
It also aimed to create an appropriate and attractive environment and to save time and efforts.
Mahmoud bin Shanon al Souti, Industrial Planning Engineer at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, said that the service comes within the procedures taken by the ministry to facilitate the procedures related to export of products and the comprehensive development of services offered by the ministry and to transform all services of the ministry to online services.
It also aimed to facilitate and improve the business environment and to implement the best international practices.
The companies and establishments interested in issuance of country of origin certificates when exporting to Arab countries, Singapore and EFTA countries could access the Invest Easy portal and attach the required documents which would be approved online by the personnel concerned at the ministry or the directorates and departments affiliated to the ministry.
He also called owners of national establishments including entrepreneurs, owners of SMEs, investors and craftsmen to avail from the economic agreements and FTAs executed between the Sultanate of Oman and other countries in terms of export, import and obtainment of preferential treatment.
The number of online transactions conducted through Invest Easy portal saw a remarkable increase to reach 244,744 in the first quarter of 2022 compared to 75,630 transactions during the same period in 2021.
The online transactions introduced through Sanad Centres represented 40.78 per cent and the transactions presented through the self-service amounted to 27.2 per cent.
The transactions conducted through the directorates and departments affiliated to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion represented 22.79 per cent with the remaining percentage for transactions conducted by the other departments.
The Department of Information, Data and Statistics at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion stated that the transactions conducted through the front offices of the ministry during the first quarter of 2022 amounted to 20,303 compared to 5,894 during the same period in 2021. The number of transactions conducted through the departments and directorates affiliated to the ministry amounted to 55,787 compared to 27,663 transactions during the same period in 2021. — ONA
