Oman sets fresh terms for the recruitment of domestic workers
Published: 08:10 AM,Oct 12,2025 | EDITED : 01:10 PM,Oct 12,2025
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Muscat: The Ministry of Labour issued Ministerial Resolution No. 574/2025, promulgating the regulations for the work of domestic workers and those in a similar status.
The decision aims to enhance the protection of domestic workers, clarify employer obligations, and strengthen oversight of employment practices within private households.
Under the resolution, all employers and workers covered by the new rules must regularise their employment status within three months of the date the regulation comes into force.
Who are domestic workers?
The regulation applies to professions such as child caregivers, private drivers, gardeners, agricultural workers, residential building guards, home health assistants, private nurses, home cooks, and animal handlers, including camel, cattle, and horse breeders.
It defines domestic work relationships and guarantees minimum rights for workers, declaring any agreement that reduces or waives such rights as void. Employers may, however, grant additional benefits beyond those stipulated in the regulation.
Age limit and no fees to recruit workers
According to the decision, employers are prohibited from imposing forced labour, harassment, or violence, and from withholding passports or documents without the worker’s written consent. They may not employ anyone under the age of 21 or collect fees for recruitment.
Restrictions on recruitment advertisements
The regulation also forbids advertising workers based on creed or colour and bars the employment of unlicensed or undocumented workers. Employers must provide workers with appropriate accommodation, food, healthcare coverage, and transportation, and maintain a dedicated record for each worker containing employment details and wage documentation.
Workers, in turn, are required to respect Omani laws, customs, and traditions, perform their assigned duties diligently, maintain confidentiality, and safeguard the employer’s property.
The decision noted that employment contracts must be in writing and in Arabic, with an additional approved translation permitted. The contract must specify working hours, wages, rest periods, and other terms, and must be electronically registered with the ministry.
Limit on the probationary period
A probationary period of up to 15 days may be agreed upon to assess professional competence and conduct. Either party may terminate the contract during this period after giving at least seven days’ notice. A worker cannot be placed on probation more than once with the same employer unless employed under a different category of work.
If the parties continue the employment after the contract’s expiry, it is deemed automatically renewed under the same conditions unless either party provides two months’ written notice of termination.
Working hours
Working hours may not exceed 12 hours per day, including designated rest and meal breaks totalling at least 8 hours daily. Overtime of up to 2 additional hours per day may be agreed upon in writing, compensated at the equivalent daily wage rate, the decision pointed out.
Weekly holidays
Workers are entitled to one paid rest day per week and paid sick leave of up to 30 days per year upon presentation of a certified medical report. Annual leave must be no less than 21 days per year, with the option to divide or compensate unused days in cash.
Wages
Wages must be paid in Omani riyals or another legal currency within seven days of the due date. Employers must ensure payment is documented, either by signed receipt or through bank transfer, and retain proof of payment. Deductions from wages are only permitted in limited cases, such as compensation for damages, court-ordered fines, or repayment of employer loans, with total deductions not exceeding one-quarter of the monthly wage.
Sick leaves
A worker whose illness is proven by a certificate issued by an accredited medical authority shall be entitled to paid sick leave for a period not exceeding 30 days per year, consecutive or separate, in accordance with the medical certificate issued to him. The employer may not employ the worker during his sick leave period.
Annual leaves
The worker shall be entitled to annual leave with his agreed-upon monthly pay of no less than 21 days for each year he spends in service with the employer. The leave may be divided, and the date and place of its spending may be chosen by agreement between the two parties. The worker may be compensated for the days of annual leave with an allowance equivalent to his daily wage in accordance with For the balance of annual leave days, provided this is agreed upon in writing.
The worker is entitled to wages for his balance of annual leave if his service ends before he has exhausted them.
All leave stipulated in these regulations shall be included within the worker's service period.
Contract termination
The employment relationship may end upon expiry of the contract, medical incapacity, death of the worker or employer, or mutual agreement. In the event of an employer’s death, the worker may continue employment with the family for up to 90 days until the situation is regularised.
Gratuity
Upon termination, the worker is entitled to an end-of-service gratuity equivalent to half a month’s wage for each year of service, provided the total service period exceeds two years. The employer must settle all dues and entitlements within five days of contract termination.
The regulation empowers authorised officials of the Ministry of Labour with judicial inspection powers to investigate complaints, review worker conditions, and ensure compliance. Employers are required to cooperate fully, provide accurate records, and permit visits or interviews with workers when authorised.
Return to the home country
The employer is obligated to return the worker to his/her country or to any other country agreed upon after the termination of the employment contract within a maximum period of 30 thirty days, unless the worker's services are transferred to another employer.
The employer must, upon the worker's request, grant the worker a release from any obligations towards him/her upon the termination of the employment contract or upon his/her departure from the Sultanate of Oman.