Employment contracts and recruitment in Oman: what the Ministry of Labour's new regulation changes, and what to do now

On 11 October 2026 Oman's Ministry of Labour unveiled the new regulation governing the recruitment of non-Omani workers. Three questions reach us most often on this subject: "how long does the office guarantee the worker?", "what if recruitment is late?" and "how do I register the employment contract?". This article collects what was officially announced, what the press has reported from the decision, and what already applies today to the employment contract itself.

Before you read: what we attribute to the Ministry comes from its statement as published by the Oman News Agency on 11 October 2026. The decision number (390/2026), the effective date and the detailed figures — compensation rates, the refund formula and the refund cases — come from the Oman Observer's report on the decision; we had not seen its text in the Official Gazette when this article was written. The employment-contract rules for domestic workers are taken from the text of Ministerial Decision 574/2025. This article explains; it is not legal advice. The decision's text and the Ministry of Labour are the reference.

Three documents that are easy to confuse

The job offer: signed by the employer and shown to the worker before they travel. It states the wage and the nature of the work.
The recruitment contract (service contract): between you and the recruitment office. It sets the office's fee, how long the office has to bring the worker in, and the guarantee.
The employment contract: between you and the worker. It sets the wage, working hours, rest and leave, and it is registered with the Ministry of Labour.

The new regulation deals with the first two. The third is governed by rules that were already in force, summarised later in this article.

When does the new regulation take effect?

According to the Oman Observer, the regulation was issued as Ministerial Decision 390/2026 on 11 October 2026, replaces the 2011 regulation, and takes effect on 1 January 2027. Existing recruitment-office licences stay valid until they expire and are then renewed under the new rules.

What has been published so far does not say how the regulation affects recruitment contracts signed before that date. If you are about to sign one before January, ask the office plainly which terms it commits to, and have them written into the contract.

What changes for the employer

Item	What the new regulation provides
Contracts	Unified recruitment contracts approved by the Ministry of Labour
Time to bring the worker in	No more than 45 days from signing the service contract
If the office is late	You may terminate the contract, or agree in writing to an extension of no more than 30 days, with compensation equal to 5% of the service fee
Refund after termination	Within 15 days, together with any compensation due
Guarantee, domestic workers and equivalent occupations	Two years from the date the worker starts work with you
Guarantee, other non-Omani workers	90 days
Insurance	Mandatory for every service contract; the office gives you a copy of the policy at signing

The unified contracts, the 45-day deadline and the two-year guarantee appear in the Ministry's statement. The remaining items come from the newspaper's report on the decision.

How is a refund calculated?

According to the report:

In the first 90 days: the service fee is refunded in full.
After that, up to the end of the two years: the service fee is divided by 730 and multiplied by the number of days remaining in the contract.
Administrative deductions are capped at 1% of the service fee, in addition to applicable government fees.
The refund is due within 15 days, unless you and the office agree in writing on a replacement worker.

An illustration of our own, with made-up numbers: the service fee is OMR 730, one of the refund cases arises, and 365 days remain in the contract. The amount before any deduction is 730 ÷ 730 × 365 = OMR 365.

When are you entitled to a refund?

The cases the report lists:

The worker's actual occupation or qualifications do not match what was agreed.
The worker refuses to work without an acceptable excuse, or leaves the job without a lawful reason.
A specified medical condition prevents the worker from continuing.
A documented assault on the employer or a member of the family.
The worker is referred to court over an alleged work-related misdemeanour or felony.
The overseas agency asks for the worker's return for a reason not attributable to the employer.
Natural death while the contract is valid, or disability caused by illness.

You must notify the office within 30 days of the event. If you are late, the office may deduct up to 5% of the service fee.

And when do you lose that right?

If you misrepresented the conditions of employment.
If you withheld the worker's wages for more than two consecutive months, or three non-consecutive months within a year.
If the worker was subjected to harassment or violence in your household.
If you knew of a serious risk to the worker's safety or health and did not deal with it.

What changes for the worker

According to the Ministry's statement:

No fees for the worker: the regulation prohibits charging the worker any amount for recruitment.
A job offer before recruitment, stating the wage and the nature of the work.
Accommodation and care provided by the office for as long as the worker stays with it.
Offices may not promote workers or advertise their services.

The newspaper's report adds that the job offer is written and signed by the employer, and that the office must obtain the worker's prior approval and have the service contract approved by the Ministry. The job-offer form for domestic workers covers working hours, rest periods, leave, accommodation, the size of the household and the tasks expected. A worker's passport and official documents cannot be held without the worker's written consent.

This concerns you directly: you are held to what you write in the job offer. Misrepresenting the conditions of employment is one of the ways an employer loses the right to a refund.

And the employment contract itself? The rules in force today

These rules are not new. The regulation on the work of domestic workers and those in equivalent occupations was issued as Ministerial Decision 574/2025, published in the Official Gazette on 12 October 2025, and has applied since the day after publication. It covers domestic workers, nannies, private drivers, gardeners, agricultural workers, guards of residential buildings, home health assistants, private nurses, home cooks, camel keepers, livestock keepers and horse grooms.

The main points on the contract:

Written, in Arabic (Article 19): two copies, one for each party. It may be drawn up in another language as long as an Arabic copy approved by both parties is attached.
What it must state (Article 19): the names and details of the employer and the worker, the start date and the probation period, the type and nature of the work, the place of work, working hours and rest, and the monthly wage and the date it is paid.
Registered electronically (Article 19): the employer must register the contract in the Ministry's system, and update it there whenever a term changes.
Probation (Article 20): no more than 15 days from the day the worker starts, and not repeated with the same employer.
Working hours (Article 22): no more than 12 hours a day, with a daily rest of at least 8 hours.
Rest and leave (Articles 23 to 25): at least one paid rest day a week, paid sick leave of up to 30 days a year with a medical certificate, and annual leave of at least 21 days for each year of service.
Wages (Articles 27 and 28): paid within 7 days of the due date. Your obligation is discharged only by the worker's signature for receipt, or by depositing or transferring the wage to the worker's bank account.
Passport and age (Articles 5 and 6): the worker's passport may be held only with written consent, and employing anyone under 21 is prohibited.

Where there is no written contract, Article 19 lets the worker prove their rights by any means of proof. The absence of a contract does not protect you; having one does.

A note on "trial periods": for workers an office brings in on temporary permits to transfer to employers, the newspaper's report mentions a trial of no more than 7 days with any one employer, not repeated with the same employer, with at most four employers and 28 days in total. That is a different period from the 15-day probation in the domestic-workers regulation. Nothing published so far explains how the two relate, so ask the office or the Ministry before relying on either.

What to do now

Deal only with a recruitment office licensed by the Ministry of Labour. The regulation restricts the activity to licensed offices.
Ask for the recruitment contract in writing and read three things in it: the time allowed to bring the worker in, the guarantee period, and how a refund is calculated.
Write into the job offer what you will actually honour: the wage, the tasks, working hours, accommodation and the size of your household.
Once the worker arrives, draw up the employment contract and register it electronically in the Ministry's system.
Pay wages by bank transfer or against the worker's signature, and keep the proof.
If one of the refund cases arises, notify the office in writing without delay.

Registering an employment contract: expatriate and Omani workers

The Ministry of Labour registers employment contracts electronically. There is a service for registering an employment contract for a non-Omani worker, open to individual employers and to establishments, and a service for registering an individual employment contract for an Omani, for establishments. The fee published for each in the Ministry's e-services guide, as we read it in September 2026, is OMR 1. After registration the worker reviews and accepts the contract through the contract-acceptance service, which is free.

Through Saned

Saned does not recruit workers and does not act as an intermediary in recruitment. What Sanad offices handle through Saned is Ministry of Labour paperwork, such as registering an employment contract.

The service is available to you directly through the Ministry's electronic channels. If you would rather have a licensed Sanad office complete it for you, send what is needed in the chat and the office takes it from there and follows up with you:

Work contract (expatriate worker) — office fee currently listed: OMR 3.
Work contract (Omani worker) — office fee currently listed: OMR 3.
Accept work contract (individuals) — office fee currently listed: OMR 1.

The office fee covers the office's work only, and the office tells you the full amount before you pay. Do not pay anything before the office confirms your request.

Start an expatriate work-contract request · Message us on WhatsApp

Sources

The Ministry of Labour's statement on the regulation, 11 October 2026: Oman News Agency (Arabic)
Details of Ministerial Decision 390/2026 (press source): Oman Observer, 11 October 2026
Arabic coverage of the statement: Al Roya
Text of Ministerial Decision 574/2025, the regulation on the work of domestic workers (unofficial site; the reference is Official Gazette issue 1617): Qanoon.om (Arabic)
Contract registration and acceptance services and their fees: Ministry of Labour e-services