# How to Register a Company in Oman and Get Residency

> Foreigners can own 100% of an Omani company in most activities, register it on the Oman Business Platform, and then have that company sponsor their investor residence visa. This guide covers structures, steps, documents, cost components, the 2025–2026 rule changes and the residency sequence.

URL: https://omanregister.com/register-company-oman-residency/
Updated: 2026-10-24
Publisher: Oman Register (omanregister.com) — company registration and residency services in Oman. Contact: +968 7733 3556, info@omanregister.com

## At a glance

- **Foreign ownership:** Up to 100% in most activities (Royal Decree 50/2019)
- **Minimum capital:** No general minimum for foreign investors
- **Registration portal:** Oman Business Platform (business.gov.om)
- **Closed activities:** 123 activities reserved for Omanis (as of Sept 2024)
- **Omani hire rule:** At least one Omani within 12 months (Decision 411/2025)
- **Residency route:** Company sponsors the owner's investor residence visa
- **Long-term option:** Golden Residency, 10 years, from OMR 200,000

To register a company in Oman and get residency, you set up the company on the Oman Business Platform (Invest Easy), obtain its commercial registration (CR) and licences, open a labour file, and then have the company sponsor your investor residence visa. Foreigners can own 100% of the company in most activities and there is no general minimum capital. The company and your right to live in Oman form one chain: if the company lapses, so does your visa.

This guide is for foreign founders, investors and expats relocating with a business. It covers the structure choice, the step-by-step process, documents, cost components, the residency sequence and the rule changes from 2024–2026 that many older guides miss.

## Can a foreigner own 100% of a company in Oman?

Yes, for most activities. The Foreign Capital Investment Law (Royal Decree 50/2019), in force since January 2020, removed the old requirement for an Omani partner and the minimum capital rule for foreign investors. More than 1,700 commercial and industrial activities are open to full foreign ownership through the Oman Business Platform.

What decides your case is the **activity code**, not your nationality:

- **Closed activities.** A ministerial list reserves certain activities for Omani investors. An update in September 2024 added 28 activities (including grocery stores, used-car sales, mobile cafés, several handicrafts and event-furniture rental), bringing the total to 123.
- **Regulated activities.** Tourism, education, healthcare, financial services and activities with environmental impact need approval from their own regulator on top of the CR.
- **Investment licence conditions.** Foreign-investment applicants may be asked for an implementation timetable, expected headcount, proof of relevant experience and a feasibility study. Since late 2024 the authorities have also suspended applications from expatriate residents in professions classed as limited-skilled.

Check each code on the Business Activities List and run it through the **License Simulator** on the platform before you pay anyone. Register only the codes you will actually use; one unnecessary restricted code can pull a simple file into extra review.

## The 2025–2026 changes to know before you start

| Change | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| **One Omani employee rule** (Ministerial Decision 411/2025) | New foreign-owned companies must hire at least one Omani national within 12 months of starting operations. Existing companies have six months from their next CR renewal or work-permit transaction. Budget for this salary. |
| **CR fees treated like Omani fees** | Foreign investors who employ at least one Omani pay the reduced commercial registration fees applied to Omani investors. |
| **Pay-later fees** (October 2026) | The Oman Business Platform now takes only a small fee at submission; the balance is paid once the application is processed. |
| **Golden Residency** (launched September 2025) | A renewable 10-year residence for investors from OMR 200,000, with seven qualifying routes including company formation. See the [Golden Visa guide](https://omanregister.com/golden-visa/). |
| **Personal income tax from 2028** (Royal Decree 56/2025) | A 5% tax on individuals earning more than OMR 42,000 a year, starting 1 January 2028. Corporate tax remains 15% under the standard regime. |

## Mainland SPC, LLC, branch or free zone: which structure fits?

| Structure | Owners | Best for | Where it can sell |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Sole Proprietor Company (SPC)](https://omanregister.com/company-types/sole-proprietor-company-spc/) | One individual or one company | Solo founders, consultants, small service and trading firms | Anywhere in mainland Oman within its licensed activities |
| [Limited Liability Company (LLC)](https://omanregister.com/company-types/limited-liability-company-llc/) | Two or more shareholders, foreign or Omani | Partnerships, contractors, businesses planning to hire | Anywhere in mainland Oman within its licensed activities |
| Foreign company branch | Parent company abroad, which stays liable | Established overseas firms executing a specific contract | Limited to the parent's activities |
| Free zone company | Under each zone's rules | Trading, logistics, manufacturing, re-export | Inside the zone; mainland sales come with conditions |

**How to choose:** start from where your customers are. A consultancy billing Muscat clients belongs on the [mainland](https://omanregister.com/mainland-company-registration-oman/). A business whose goods physically move through Sohar, Salalah or Duqm can benefit from free zone customs and tax incentives. If you expect a partner within a year, start as an LLC rather than restructuring an SPC later.

Every structure can sponsor residence visas, but how many visas you get depends on your activity, premises and the labour quota, not on the legal form alone.

![Container cranes and warehouses at Sohar port and free zone in Oman](https://omanregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/register-company-oman-residency-2.jpg)

## How to register a company in Oman step by step

The mainland process runs through the [Oman Business Platform](https://www.business.gov.om/ieasy/wp/en), which links the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MOCIIP) with municipalities, the Royal Oman Police and the Ministry of Labour. For screen-by-screen guidance, see our [online registration walkthrough](https://omanregister.com/how-to-register-a-company-online/).

1. **Get access.** Log in with an Omani digital identity, or appoint a local representative under a notarised (and, if signed abroad, legalised) power of attorney.
2. **Check the name and trademark.** Run the commercial name availability check and a trademark search before paying for branding.
3. **Choose the legal type and activities.** Select ISIC activity codes and confirm, in the License Simulator, which licences and approvals they trigger. This is the step where most delays are created.
4. **Submit the new CR application.** Upload the articles of association and shareholder documents. Track it under My Applications.
5. **Download the CR certificate.** Pending items, such as proof of capital, appear as tasks under My CR.
6. **Register premises and licences.** Add your place of activity and apply for the municipal licence and any sector approvals. A virtual office works for many service activities; workshops, shops and cafés need a lease the municipality can inspect.
7. **Open the labour establishment file** with the Ministry of Labour so the company can apply for visas and work permits.
8. **Open a corporate bank account.** Banks set their own compliance checks; expect to show the CR, articles, shareholder passports and a business plan.
9. **Register with the Oman Tax Authority** and set up annual compliance: CR renewal, filings and announcements of capital changes.

Free zone companies follow the zone authority's own process instead; see for example [Sohar Free Zone](https://omanregister.com/free-zones/sohar-free-zone/) or Duqm SEZ.

![Graphic stating Oman removed the minimum capital requirement for foreign investors in 2020](https://omanregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/register-company-oman-residency-3.jpg)

## Documents you will need

**Individual shareholder**

- Passport copy (valid at least six months) and a personal photo
- Proof of address and, if you are already in Oman, your resident card
- A no-objection letter from your current sponsor if you live in Oman on someone else's visa
- CV or evidence of relevant experience (often requested for the investment licence)
- Office lease or virtual office contract

**Corporate shareholder (in addition)**

- Certificate of incorporation and articles of the parent company
- Board resolution approving the Omani company and naming its representative
- Recent good-standing certificate where available
- All attested in the issuing country, legalised for use in Oman and translated into Arabic

Start the attestation chain first. For corporate shareholders it routinely takes longer than the Omani registration itself.

## What it costs: the components to budget

Government fees for the CR are modest by Gulf standards, but they are a small part of the real budget. Fees depend on legal form, capital and the number of activities, and they have been revised several times, so take the current figure from the platform at checkout rather than from any blog.

| Cost component | What drives it |
|---|---|
| Commercial registration | Legal form, declared capital, number of activities; reduced rate if you employ an Omani |
| Chamber of Commerce (OCCI) membership | Company grade and capital |
| Municipal and sector licences | Activity and location |
| Office or virtual office | Area, building and contract length |
| Attestation and translation | Number of documents and issuing country |
| Investor visa, medical and resident card | Number of applicants, including family |
| Work permits for staff | Job category and whether you meet Omanisation targets (see [work permits in Oman](https://omanregister.com/work-permit-oman/)) |
| Omani employee salary | Required within 12 months for foreign-owned companies |
| Professional fees | Provider scope: PRO work, accounting, bank introduction |

Ask any provider for a written breakdown that separates government fees from service fees. 

## How your company gets you a residence visa

You do not apply for residency as a private individual. Your company applies for you, so your residence depends on the company staying in good standing.

1. **CR and licences active**, including any municipal approval.
2. **Labour establishment file open** with the Ministry of Labour.
3. **Investor visa application** submitted by the company. If you are employed by the company rather than owning it, this is an employment visa backed by a work permit instead.
4. **Enter Oman** on the visa and complete the expatriate medical test.
5. **Biometrics** at a Royal Oman Police office and collection of your resident card.
6. **Family and staff** next: once you hold residence, the company can sponsor staff within its quota, and you can sponsor your spouse and children. The minimum monthly salary for a family-joining visa was cut to OMR 150 in 2023; confirm the current figure with the ROP.

Resident cards are renewable as long as the company is active. Renewals usually stall because something lapsed in year one: the CR, a licence or the registered office lease. Put the CR expiry date in your calendar the day you receive the certificate.

**Longer horizon.** Oman does not offer permanent residency leading to citizenship. The closest option is the [Golden Residency](https://omanregister.com/golden-visa/): a renewable 10-year residence for investments from OMR 200,000, including company formation with that level of capital and assets, a business employing at least 50 Omanis, listed shares, bank deposits or qualifying property. Separately, a June 2026 ROP decision (No. 87/2026) widened unsponsored visas and residence for foreign property owners.

## Three typical routes

### Solo consultant: SPC in Muscat with a virtual office

A consultant chooses an SPC, checks that consulting is open to foreign ownership with no extra regulator, and registers on a virtual office. The company sponsors her investor visa once the CR and labour file are active. Her main ongoing obligation is hiring an Omani within the first year.

### Contractor: LLC bidding on public work

A civil contractor needs the CR, then registration with the Tender Board to bid on government projects, plus Tatwir registration for off-plan projects under escrow. His investor visa comes first; site staff follow through work permits, which depend heavily on Omanisation ratios in construction.

### Investor: buying an existing company

An investor takes over a trading company through the CR ownership transfer service on the platform. Before signing, he checks the CR on the National Business Register, confirms every activity is open to foreign ownership and asks the Ministry of Labour how existing work permits carry over. Once recorded as owner, the company sponsors his visa.

![Foreign entrepreneur meeting an Omani advisor in a Muscat office to plan company setup](https://omanregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/register-company-oman-residency-4.jpg)

## Common mistakes that delay registration and residency

- **Picking vague or extra activity codes** that trigger approvals you did not plan for.
- **Starting attestation late.** Foreign corporate documents are the most common bottleneck.
- **Signing a lease before checking the activity.** Some activities cannot use a virtual office; others need a specific zoning.
- **Ignoring the one-Omani rule** in the first-year budget.
- **Letting the CR or lease lapse**, which blocks visa renewals for you, your family and staff.
- **Relying on old fee tables.** Fees and payment rules changed again in 2026.
- **Overstaying on a visit visa** while waiting for paperwork. Plan the sequence before you fly; see [Oman visa requirements](https://omanregister.com/oman-visa-requirements/).

## Setup and residency checklist

- Confirm activity codes are open to foreign ownership and note any extra regulator
- Choose the structure and location based on where your customers are
- Reserve the trade name
- Attest and translate passports and corporate documents
- Secure a lease or virtual office suited to the activity
- Submit the CR application and pay the initial fee online
- Obtain municipal and sector licences
- Open the labour file and corporate bank account
- Apply for your investor visa, medical and resident card
- Plan the first Omani hire and family visas

You can register yourself if you hold an Omani digital ID and your activity needs no special licence. If you are abroad, have corporate shareholders, need sector approvals or several visas, Oman Register can handle the registration, PRO work and residency file end to end.

## FAQ

**Can a foreigner own 100% of a company in Oman?**

Yes, in most activities. The Foreign Capital Investment Law (Royal Decree 50/2019) allows full foreign ownership, except for activities on the list reserved for Omani investors, which held 123 activities after the September 2024 update.

**Does registering a company in Oman give me residency?**

Not automatically, but it is the main route. Once the company holds an active commercial registration and a labour establishment file, it can apply for your investor residence visa, followed by the Royal Oman Police medical and biometric steps.

**Is there a minimum capital requirement for foreigners?**

There is no general minimum capital for foreign investors under the 2019 law. You still declare a capital figure in your articles, and some activities, investment licences and the Golden Residency have their own financial thresholds.

**Do I need to hire an Omani employee?**

Under Ministerial Decision 411/2025, foreign-owned companies must employ at least one Omani national within their first 12 months; existing companies get six months from their next CR or work-permit transaction.

**Can I bring my family on my company-sponsored residence?**

Yes, once you hold residence. The minimum monthly salary for a family-joining visa was lowered to OMR 150 in 2023; confirm the current figure with the Royal Oman Police before applying.

**How long does the whole process take?**

For an open activity with documents ready, the commercial registration can be issued within days. Licences, bank account opening and the residence visa usually add several weeks, and attestation of foreign documents is often the longest step.

## Sources

- [Oman Business Platform (Invest Easy) — e-Services](https://www.business.gov.om/ieasy/wp/en)
- [Invest Oman — Investor residency and services](https://investoman.om/investor-residency)
- [Invest Oman — Golden Residency announcement](https://investoman.om/blog/1/12)
- [Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion — Foreign investment news](https://tejarah.gov.om/media/news/kapdeds6capkqqvm4ufoayp1)
- [Oman Observer — 28 more activities reserved for Omanis (Sept 2024)](https://www.omanobserver.om/article/1158470/business/economy/oman-limits-28-business-activities-to-nationals)
- [DLA Piper — Decision 411/2025, foreign companies must hire one Omani](https://knowledge.dlapiper.com/dlapiperknowledge/globalemploymentlatestdevelopments/2025/oman-requires-foreign-companies-to-hire-at-least-one-Omani-national)
- [Times of Oman — Oman Business Platform fee payment update (Oct 2026)](https://timesofoman.com/article/177591-oman-business-platform-updates-fee-payment-mechanism)
- [EY — Oman personal income tax from 2028 (Royal Decree 56/2025)](https://www.ey.com/en_gl/technical/tax-alerts/oman-to-introduce-personal-income-tax-from-january-2028)
- [Ministry of Labour](https://www.mol.gov.om)
- [Royal Oman Police](https://www.rop.gov.om)