Setting Up a Business in Oman

An in-depth guide for foreign entrepreneurs and companies looking to enter the Omani market — a Gulf economy actively diversifying away from oil, offering 100% foreign ownership and a genuinely competitive cost position relative to its more prominent neighbour, the UAE.
This guide covers legal structures (mainland LLC versus Free Zone Company, and the real trade-off between market access and tax incentives), business taxation — including a 15% standard corporate rate on the mainland, with a reduced 3% rate reserved for qualifying small businesses — company formation, the free zones of Duqm, Sohar, and Salalah, each with their own sector focus, the cost of labor including mandatory, progressively increasing Omanisation quotas from year two, and immigration routes for executives, investors, and entrepreneurs. Includes a genuinely honest, figures-based comparison of Oman’s costs against Dubai, an operational checklist, and useful contacts.
Available in English.