Friday 09 / May / 2025
Muscat: The Sultanate has issued a list of activities that foreign investors are prohibited from engaging in.
The Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion issued Ministerial Decision No. (209/2020) determining the list of activities which foreign investors are prohibited from engaging in, limiting them to Omani investors in order to protect national products and entrepreneurship projects.
According to the decision, an Omani investor can practice investment in all activities and enter into a partnership with a foreign investor, taking into account the enforced agreements in the field of trade and investment.
The first article of the ministerial decision specifies the activities that foreign investors are prohibited from engaging in, including manufacturing of Omani Halwa, making of the Omani Khanjar, retail sale of Omani Khanjar, retail sale of handicrafts, designing and tailoring of Omani Kumma, as well as tailoring and sewing of traditional women's gowns, Arab and non-Arab men's and women's clothes, sportswear and military clothes.
The list of activities that a foreign investor is prohibited from investing in also includes transporting and sale of drinking water, repairing vehicle electricity connections, charging car batteries, repairing and cleaning car radiators, repairing tires and adjusting wheel scales, vehicle washing and lubrication stations, activities for changing vehicle oils, repairing car air conditioners, repairing of vehicle exhaust, cleaning and polishing vehicles.
The list also includes a ban on foreign investment in the wholesale of fruits and vegetables, cooking gas and LPG filling stations, retail sale of honey, vehicle fuel stations, diesel fuel stations, retail sale in specialized stores of phones and their accessories.
It also includes sale of mobile phones and accessories, retail sale in stores of antiques and paintings, natural flowers and plants, and pottery and handicrafts.
The list also includes a ban on foreign investment in retail activities in stores for gifts and silverware, telecom cards, animal food, bags, and wedding supplies.
The prohibited list for foreign investment also includes sale of fireworks, retail sale of empty gas cylinders, wedding cards, and retail of apiaries supplies.
The decision also banned foreign investment in the field of transporting pilgrims and Umrah performers, road transport by trucks of cooking gas cylinders, loading and unloading of goods, the activity of customs clearance offices, valuing canceled vehicles, the activity of an insurance agent with commission, real estate brokerage, foreign manpower recruitment offices, employment and public cleaning of offices and buildings.
The decision also prohibits foreign investment in copying services, printing documents, and offices for tracking transactions, collecting and installing neon panels, managing and operating fuel stations, as well as specialized rehabilitation centers, homes for the elderly, and orphanages.
The decision also prohibits other activities related to libraries and archives, washing all kinds of clothes and textiles, except for what is set up in tourist establishments, ironing clothes, washing and ironing with steam (dry washing), hairdressing and shaving for men, hairdressing and cosmetic treatment for women, and hairdressing for children.
The second article of the decision excluded the implementation of its provisions on already existing investment projects, with the prohibition on assigning those activities to third parties without the written approval of the minister or his authorized representative.
The second article also affirmed that this decision shall cancel all contradictions of its provisions. Article 4 of the decision stipulates that it shall be enforced on the day following the date of its publication.
