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The Ministry of Labour issued Ministerial Decision 730/2024 to regulate the temporary movement of non-Omani workers between private sector establishments. The decision builds directly on the Labour Law promulgated by Royal Decree 53/2023. It introduces the first formal framework for such transfers, which were previously unregulated according to analyses by international law firm Fragomen. The Oman Observer detailed the move in its coverage of the new regulations.
The ministerial decision lists multiple conditions that must be satisfied before any transfer can occur. Workers cannot be moved to professions subject to Omanisation requirements. The new role must match the same professional category and align with the nature of the original position. The worker must provide explicit consent to the transfer and must have completed a minimum of six months with the sending establishment.
Work permits for transferred employees must remain active with at least six months of validity remaining at the time of transfer, according to the ministry’s stipulations reported by the Oman Observer. Neither the sending nor receiving establishment may have suspended services or outstanding financial obligations to the Ministry of Labour. The transfer itself cannot exceed six months for any individual worker within a single calendar year.
The decision caps transfers at 50 percent of the registered workforce for both the sending and receiving facilities to maintain operational stability. All transfers must be documented using an official ministry form. Both establishments are required to meet prescribed Omanisation rates throughout the process, the Oman Observer stated in its summary of the decision.
Receiving establishments assume full rights and obligations toward the transferred worker during the temporary period, including payment of at least the same wage and benefits via the wage protection system. If the worker departs the receiving establishment early, that employer must notify the original employer immediately. The original employer then follows standard ministry procedures for any work abandonment notice, with the transfer time counting toward the worker’s total service record.
This regulatory step forms part of broader labor market reforms under Royal Decree 53/2023, which updated sponsorship and mobility rules for expatriates. Data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information places expatriates at more than 80 percent of Oman’s private sector workforce, underscoring the significance of balanced transfer policies. Subsequent ministry resolutions in 2025 further eased work permit procedures and introduced fee exemptions for certain categories, according to later Oman Observer reports.
An Oman Observer editorial titled “The worker-transfer rule Oman should measure” called for ongoing assessment of the policy’s impact on labor mobility, Omanisation targets and business flexibility in the months following implementation.
