Oman Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify an Oman Business

TL;DR. Oman’s commercial register is maintained by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MOCIIP) via the Invest Easy portal at business.gov.om. Basic company profile searches are free and accessible without a local account. The portal has both English and Arabic interfaces. Certified document retrieval may require registration. No FATF grey listing applies to Oman.

What is the official Oman business registry?

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MOCIIP) operates Oman’s commercial register under the Commercial Companies Law. The public search portal is the Invest Easy platform, now rebranded as the Oman Business Platform (OBP), accessible at business.gov.om. This portal consolidates commercial registration, licensing, and corporate filing services into a single interface.

The commercial register covers limited liability companies (LLCs), sole proprietorships, public and closed joint-stock companies, branch offices of foreign companies, and holding companies. MOCIIP assigns each registered entity a Commercial Registration (CR) number, which serves as the primary identifier across government systems.

Records on the Invest Easy portal extend to historical filings, though the completeness of older digitised records varies. All companies operating in Oman are required to renew their CR annually, which means lapsed renewals are a material risk indicator in due diligence.

What can you search?

The Invest Easy portal supports searches by:

• Commercial Registration (CR) number
• Company name (partial match supported in both Arabic and English)
• Activity code (ISIC-based classification used by MOCIIP)

Information returned per entity typically includes: registered company name, CR number, entity type, registered address, business activities, date of registration, registration status (active, suspended, cancelled), and authorised capital. Shareholder and director detail visibility varies by entity type; some fields require login or are not publicly exposed.

Data freshness follows the filing event: status changes and renewals appear on the system once processed by MOCIIP, typically within a few business days of the filing date.

How much does it cost?

Basic company profile information and CR copy downloads are free via the Invest Easy portal as of May 2026, per MOCIIP’s published digital services. Fees for certified notarised extracts obtained in person at MOCIIP offices are not published on the portal; contact MOCIIP directly for current tariff schedules. OMR/USD conversion used: 1 OMR = approximately USD 2.60 (May 2026 rate).

Do you need a local account or ID?

A basic company name or CR number search does not require registration on the Invest Easy portal. Foreign buyers can run name and CR number queries without a login. However, downloading certain official documents or accessing filing history may require creating an account on the platform; account creation does not require an Omani national ID or civil number for basic access.

For more detailed corporate filings or in-person certified document requests, an appointment at the relevant MOCIIP office may be needed. There is no requirement for a local Omani entity or Omani sponsor to conduct a public registry search.

Is the website in English?

Yes. The Invest Easy / Oman Business Platform offers a full English-language interface alongside Arabic. Users can toggle between the two languages. Statutory document templates and official company name registrations may appear in Arabic, but navigation, search fields, and entity status labels are fully available in English.

What’s the turnaround time?

Basic company profile data and CR status are returned instantly upon search. Downloaded CR copies are available immediately if accessible to the logged-in user. Certified extracts obtained via in-person request at MOCIIP offices typically take 1-3 business days, though turnaround times are not formally published.

Is there an API?

No public API for the commercial register is documented on the MOCIIP or Invest Easy portals as of May 2026. Platform-level integrations must rely on the web interface or engage MOCIIP directly. OpenCorporates indexes Omani filings but lags official data and should not be used for compliance-grade verification.

What you legally cannot do

Oman’s Invest Easy Terms of Use prohibit bulk automated scraping of the portal. Registry data may not be republished commercially or used for unsolicited marketing. The Personal Data Protection Law (Royal Decree No. 6/2022), which came into force in February 2023, governs the handling of personal data included in registry extracts. Compliance buyers must document the stated purpose of any data collection as part of their internal audit trail.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• CR number is the anchor identifier. The Commercial Registration number is the primary cross-reference used by MOCIIP, tax authorities, and the Central Bank of Oman. Always verify against the CR number rather than relying on name search alone, as name transliterations between Arabic and English vary.
• Annual renewal risk. Omani companies renew their CR annually. A lapsed CR is a red flag in counterparty due diligence. Confirm the renewal date shown on the CR extract is current.
• Status field meanings. “Active” means the entity is registered and in good standing. “Suspended” may indicate a licensing issue or non-renewal. “Cancelled” means the entity has been struck off.
• UBO register live since December 2025. As of December 2025, all private companies in Oman (excluding public joint-stock companies) must register beneficial owner (BO) information on the Oman Business Platform under Ministerial Decision No. 424/2023. A beneficial owner is defined as an individual owning 25% or more of the company. This BO data is held by MOCIIP; public access to it is not confirmed as of May 2026.
• FATF context. Oman is not on the FATF grey or black list. The FATF’s 2024 Mutual Evaluation Report placed Oman in “enhanced follow-up,” which means Oman is actively reporting progress on its AML/CFT framework but faces no sanctions-equivalent designation. See fatf-gafi.org for the current position.
• GCC membership. Oman is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which coordinates regional AML standards through the MENAFATF (Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force). For a wider due diligence framework covering MENA entities, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.

Alternatives if you cannot access Invest Easy directly

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes Oman filings but lags official data. Useful for quick name checks; not for compliance-grade verification.
• In-person MOCIIP offices: For certified extracts, MOCIIP regional offices in Muscat and governorates accept walk-in or appointed requests.

Local data suppliers

• Info-clipper (info-clipper.com). International commercial data aggregator with Oman coverage. Offers pay-per-report access to Omani company profiles. Useful for initial screening; primary-source CR extracts should be confirmed via Invest Easy for compliance purposes.

Use the Invest Easy registry for authoritative filing records. Use a commercial bureau when you need payment-behavior or risk-scoring data on top of the registry extract.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Oman registry directly?

Yes. The Invest Easy portal at business.gov.om is publicly accessible from outside Oman. Basic company searches and CR profile downloads are free and do not require an Omani address or entity. Account registration may be required for document downloads; account creation accepts international credentials.

What is the CR number in Oman?

The Commercial Registration (CR) number is assigned by MOCIIP at the time of company registration. It is the primary entity identifier used across Omani government systems, including the Royal Oman Police, the tax authority, and the Central Bank of Oman. The CR number appears on all official company documents and renewal certificates.

What entity types are registered with Invest Easy?

MOCIIP registers limited liability companies (LLCs), sole proprietorships, public and closed joint-stock companies, holding companies, branch offices of foreign companies, and representative offices. Foreign ownership rules, updated under the Foreign Capital Investment Law, allow 100% foreign ownership in most sectors with certain exceptions in strategic industries.

Does Oman have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

Yes, since December 2025. Ministerial Decision No. 424/2023 requires all private companies (excluding public joint-stock companies) to register beneficial owner information on the Oman Business Platform. The threshold is 25% ownership or control. Public access to this data has not been confirmed; authorities can access it on request. This aligns with FATF Recommendation 24 on transparency of legal persons.

How current is the data in Invest Easy?

Data is updated on a filing-event basis. Status changes and renewals are reflected once MOCIIP processes the relevant transaction, typically within a few business days. Annual CR renewals must be filed before the expiry date; a company showing an expired renewal date should be treated as a risk indicator until confirmed current.

Is Oman on the FATF grey list?

No. Oman is not on the FATF grey list (Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring) as of May 2026. Following the December 2024 Mutual Evaluation Report, Oman is in FATF’s “enhanced follow-up” process, which is a standard post-evaluation reporting obligation and does not carry the compliance implications of grey-listing. The FATF country page for Oman provides the current status.

What’s the difference between the commercial register and tax/financial filings?

The commercial register at MOCIIP covers entity existence, structure, and authorisation to operate. Tax registration and VAT compliance are managed separately by the Tax Authority of Oman. Financial statements for public joint-stock companies are disclosed through the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX); private company accounts are not publicly accessible through the commercial register.

Last verified: May 2026. Source: MOCIIP Invest Easy / Oman Business Platform (business.gov.om), FATF Mutual Evaluation Report on Oman (December 2024), and MOCIIP Ministerial Decision No. 424/2023 on beneficial ownership. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.