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Oman’s Tourism Law, issued by Royal Decree 69/2023, and its executive regulations issued by Ministerial Decision in 2026 require a license from the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism before any tourism activity can be practiced. Dr Mohammed Ibrahim Al Zadjali told Times of Oman that no person shall practice any tourism activity, operate and manage tourist and hotel establishments, or establish branches or offices of foreign tourism companies except after obtaining a license from the ministry. The regulations, which entered into force in April 2026, establish procedures for licensing, renewal and enforcement to govern a sector that has seen sustained expansion.
Al Zadjali outlined the six license categories in an interview with the publication. Licenses cover operating or managing tourist or hotel establishments, travel and tourism offices and foreign tourism company branches or offices, tourist guidance, adventure tourism, high art performance groups in tourist and hotel establishments, and business tourism. The chairman of Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm explained that preliminary approvals and classification certificates are additionally required for hotel and tourist establishments before full licensing.
License applications must be submitted on the prescribed form with supporting documents and the applicable fee, according to the executive regulations detailed by Times of Oman. Applications not decided within 60 days of complete submission are deemed accepted while renewals must be filed at least 60 days before expiry to avoid penalties. Late renewal incurs a fine of 10 percent of the fee per month and failure to renew within 60 days of expiry results in cancellation of the license.
Eligibility requirements differ by license type, Al Zadjali stated in the Times of Oman report. Tourist guides must be Omanis aged 18 or over or foreigners aged 25 or over and licensed to work for a travel and tourism office while adventure tourism applicants must be Omani, 18 or over, and hold a security and safety audit certificate. All applicants must demonstrate full legal capacity, medical fitness, freedom from communicable diseases and no convictions for felonies or crimes against honor or trust unless rehabilitated.
Operating without a required license carries penalties of imprisonment from 10 days to six months, a fine of OMR6,000 to OMR50,000, or both, with punishments doubled for repeat violations, the regulations specify. A license may be suspended for failure to meet obligations or cancelled if the holder no longer meets granting conditions or assigns it without prior written ministry approval. Amendment, assignment or disposal of any license also requires explicit ministerial consent.
National Centre for Statistics and Information figures show Oman attracted four million visitors in 2025, with inbound tourism spending exceeding RO1 billion and the sector contributing RO1.135 billion to GDP. The industry employed more than 182,000 workers that year, including around 32,000 Omanis, marking increases from prior years. Oman Vision 2040 targets raising tourism’s share of GDP to 3.5 percent by 2030 and 5.3 percent by 2040.
Businesses already holding licenses under previous rules were granted six months from the April 2026 effective date to comply with the updated provisions, according to the ministerial decision. The regulations further require the ministry to maintain official registers of all tourism licenses and related records accessible to interested parties. These registers track applications, approvals, violations and other pertinent data for each licensed activity.
