Laws

Royal Decree No. 1/78 Regarding the Duties of the Directorate General of Specifications and Measurements at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry

23 Jan, 1978

COMMENTS: Royal Decree No. 1/78 Regarding the Duties of the Directorate General of Specifications and Measurements at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry authorizes the Directorate General to set standard specifications for various products and materials. The decree also includes penalties to be imposed on any person who produces commodities that do not meet the standard specifications.

Ministry of Commerce and Industry Decree No. 39/2001 on Cigarettes and Tobacco Products

10 Jul, 2001

COMMENTS: Ministry of Commerce and Industry Decree No. 39/2001 on Cigarettes and Tobacco Products establishes maximum content/emission levels, what information can be displayed on cigarette packaging, and age restrictions, among others.

Ministerial Decree No. 268/2008, Regulation of Occupational Safety and Health for Establishments Governed by the Labour Law

22 Jun, 2008

COMMENTS: Ministerial Decree No. 286/2008, Regulation of Occupational Safety and Health for Establishments Governed by the Labour Law regulates occupational safety and health and, among other things, requires employers to “work toward” the goal of prohibiting smoking in the workplace.

GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) Technical Regulation 597/2009 on Cigarettes

24 May, 2009

COMMENTS: GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) Technical Regulation 597/2009 contains standardization provisions for cigarettes, including emissions limits of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide.

Ministerial Decree No. 38/2010 to Ban the Importing and Sale of Chewing Tobacco (Smokeless)

16 Mar, 2010

COMMENTS: Ministry of Commerce and Industry Ministerial Decree No. 38/2010 prohibits the import and sale of smokeless tobacco in any form.

Ministerial Decision No. 272/2010, Activating Bylaw on Regulation of Smoking at Enclosed Places

04 Jul, 2010

COMMENTS: Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources Ministerial Decision No. 272/2010 Regulating Smoking at Enclosed Public Places activates the “Bylaw on Regulation of Smoking in Enclosed Public Places.” In addition to regulating smoking in enclosed places, the bylaw sets the minimum age for sale of tobacco and regulates some tobacco advertising and promotion activity.

GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) Technical Regulation 246/2011 on Labeling of Tobacco Product Packages

09 Aug, 2011

COMMENTS: GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) Technical Regulation 246/2011 on Labeling of Tobacco Product Packages provides standards for the Gulf region on packaging and labeling of tobacco products.

GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) Approved Health Warnings Under Technical Regulation 246/2011

09 Aug, 2011

COMMENTS: GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) Approved Health Warnings contain the images and text of the four cigarette warnings authorized by GSO Technical Regulation 246/2011. It also contains two health warnings for shisha.

Ministerial Decision No. 12/2012 Adopting the Gulf Technical Regulation No. 246/2011 of Labeling of Tobacco Product Packs as an Omani Binding Standards

09 Aug, 2012

COMMENTS: Ministry of Industry and Commerce Ministerial Decision No. 12/2012 Adopting the Gulf Technical Regulation 246/2011 of Labeling of Tobacco Product Packs as an Omani Binding Standards adopts the Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO) Technical Regulation 246/2011 on Labeling of Tobacco Product Packages and makes it binding in Oman.

Ministerial Decree No. 239/2013 on the Promulgation of a Regulation for Promotional Offers

26 Dec, 2013

COMMENTS: Ministry of Commerce and Industry Ministerial Decree No. 239/2013 on the Promulgation of a Regulation for Promotional Offers regulates how promotions may be offered and prohibits promotional offers for tobacco products.

GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) Technical Regulation 2390/2014 on Permissible and Impermissible Tobacco Additives

14 May, 2014

COMMENTS: GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) Technical Regulation 2390/2014 contains a list of additives that are permitted and a list of additives that are prohibited in tobacco products.

Public Authority for Consumer Protection Resolution No. 256/2015 Banning the Trading of Chewing (Smokeless) Tobacco

23 Apr, 2015

COMMENTS: Public Authority for Consumer Protection Resolution No. 256/2015 bans the sale of smokeless tobacco. The penalties provisions in this resolution were amended by Public Authority for Consumer Protection Resolution No. 301/2016.

Ministerial Decree No. 129/2015 on the Promulgation of a Regulation on Sale at Discounted Prices

04 May, 2015

COMMENTS: Ministry of Commerce and Industry Ministerial Decree No. 129/2015 on the Promulgation of a Regulation on Sale at Discounted Prices regulates how discounts are offered, including a ban of discounts on tobacco products.

Decree No. 698/2015 Regarding the Trade Ban of E-Cigarette and E-Shisha

01 Dec, 2015

COMMENTS: Decree No. 698/2015 Regarding the Trade Ban of E-Cigarette and E-Shisha prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes and e-shisha.

Ministerial Decree No. 327/2015 Regarding the Import Ban of E-Cigarette and E-Shisha

22 Dec, 2015

COMMENTS: Ministry of Commerce and Industry Ministerial Decree No. 327/2015 Regarding the Import Ban of E-Cigarette and E-Shisha prohibits the importation of e-cigarettes and e-shisha.

Ministerial Decree No. 42/2016 to Amend Some Provisions of the Regulation of the Press and Publications Law

05 Apr, 2016

COMMENTS: Ministry of Health Ministerial Decree No. 42/2016 to Amend Some Provisions of the Regulation of the Press and Publications Law prohibits tobacco advertising in all print, audio, visual, and electronic media.

Public Authority for Consumer Protection Resolution No. 301/2016 Amending Resolution No. 256/2015 Banning the Trading of Chewing (Smokeless) Tobacco

21 Jul, 2016

COMMENTS: Public Authority for Consumer Protection Resolution No. 301/2016 amends the penalty amounts contained in Resolution No. 256/2015 Banning the Trading of Chewing (Smokeless) Tobacco.

Decision No. 38/2017 to Amend the Fees for Services Provided by Directorate General of Customs

07 Feb, 2017

Note: This law has not been reviewed by our legal staff and was not relied upon for purposes of our analysis. We are providing it here for informational purposes only.

Ministerial Decree No. 43/2018 to Amend Some Provisions of the Executive Regulations of the Press and Publications Law

28 Mar, 2018

COMMENTS: Ministry of Information Decree No. 43/2018 amends some provisions of the Executive Regulations of the Press and Publications Law to explicitly prohibit advertising for tobacco products and its derivatives via billboards.

Ministerial Decision No. 67/2023 Deeming an Omani Standard Specification Binding

05 Sep, 2023

COMMENTS: Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion Ministerial Decision No. 67/2023 adopts Omani Standard Specification OS 1655:2022 for Plain Packaging of Tobacco Products and makes it binding in Oman. However, the implementation dates were extended through administrative practice to April 4, 2024 for manufacturers and July 4, 2024 for retailers.
 

Omani Standard Specification OS 1655:2022 for Plain Packaging of Tobacco Products

05 Sep, 2023

COMMENTS: Omani Standard Specification OS 1655:2022 for Plain Packaging of Tobacco Products requires the plain packaging of tobacco products. In addition, the Standard increases the size of combined health warnings to 65% of product packaging. Pursuant to Ministerial Decision No. 67/2023, the Standard became binding September 5, 2023. However, the implementation dates were extended through administrative practice to April 4, 2024 for manufacturers and July 4, 2024 for retailers.

To the best of our knowledge, all laws provided here are in effect as of August 27, 2024 unless otherwise noted.