Oman introduces two-year domestic worker recruitment guarantee

MUSCAT: Employers recruiting domestic workers through licensed offices will receive a two-year service guarantee under new regulations taking effect on January 1, 2027. The rules also set a 45-day recruitment deadline, provide compensation for delays and require offices to pay allowances to workers awaiting placement under temporary permits.

Ministerial Decision 390/2026, issued by Minister of Labour Dr Mahad bin Said bin Ali Baowain on October 11, replaces the recruitment regulations issued in 2011. It establishes detailed requirements for recruitment offices, service contracts, insurance, worker protection and dispute settlement.

Existing recruitment licences will remain valid until they expire, with renewals subject to the new regulations.

The regulations provide a two-year recruitment service guarantee for domestic workers and those in equivalent occupations. The standard domestic worker recruitment and transfer contracts calculate this period from the date the worker starts work with the employer.

Where a qualifying condition is met during the first 90 days, the recruitment office must refund the service fee in full. After 90 days and up to two years, the refund is calculated proportionately by dividing the service fee by 730 and multiplying it by the number of days remaining in the employment contract.

The standard recruitment contract for other non-Omani workers provides a 90-day service guarantee.

Refunds apply in specified circumstances, including a mismatch between the worker’s actual occupation or qualifications and the agreed requirements, refusal to work without an acceptable excuse, or leaving employment without a lawful reason.

Other qualifying circumstances include specified medical conditions preventing continued work, a documented assault on the employer or a family member, referral to court over an alleged workplace misdemeanour or felony, and a request by the overseas agency to return the worker for reasons not attributable to the employer. Natural death during a valid employment contract and qualifying illness-related disability are also covered.

Refunds must be paid within 15 days unless the parties agree in writing to a replacement worker. For replacements provided during the first 90 days, the office must bear recruitment costs without additional charges where the replacement costs the same as the returned worker. The replacement carries the remaining guarantee period.

Administrative deductions are capped at one per cent of the service fee, in addition to applicable government fees.

Recruitment offices must bring in workers within 45 days of signing the service contract, unless a shorter period is agreed.

If the office misses the deadline, the employer may terminate the contract or agree in writing to an extension of no more than 30 days. The employer is entitled to claim compensation equivalent to five per cent of the service fee for failure to recruit within the stipulated period.

Following termination, the office must return all amounts collected from the employer, together with any compensation due, within 15 days.

An office may be exempt from delay compensation where the delay results from force majeure or an emergency, provided it notifies the employer in writing within three days and supplies supporting documents. A full service-fee refund remains required if the disruption continues for more than 30 days without recruitment, or if the worker dies before arriving in Oman.

Every service contract must have insurance covering the applicable service-fee refund and the worker’s return airfare in the circumstances specified by the regulations.

Coverage includes qualifying health conditions, natural death and illness-related disability. Refusal to work without an acceptable excuse or leaving employment without a lawful reason becomes subject to insurance coverage after 90 days, according to the applicable provisions.

The recruitment office must give the employer a copy of the insurance policy when the service contract is signed.

Recruitment offices are prohibited from charging workers fees for recruitment or employment.

Before arrival, workers must be informed of their duties, employment conditions and wages through a written job offer signed by the employer. The office must obtain the worker’s prior approval and have the service contract approved by the competent Ministry of Labour authority.

The domestic worker offer form requires details of working hours, rest periods, leave, accommodation, household size and the tasks expected of the worker.

Offices must conduct medical checks before workers enter Oman and provide orientation on their rights, obligations and how to seek assistance in cases of disputes, abuse or violence.

Workers’ passports and official documents cannot be retained without their written consent. Office premises must protect workers’ privacy and dignity, including by preventing workers from being seated at the office frontage.

The regulations also allow an office to seek recovery of specified recruitment costs from a worker in narrowly defined cases, including leaving employment without a lawful reason or a substantiated assault, subject to the limits and conditions set out in the decision.

Recruitment offices may obtain temporary permits to bring in domestic workers and equivalent workers for subsequent transfer to employers.

These permits are valid for 180 days, cannot be renewed and are limited to 25 per branch. Each permit costs 26 RO.

While workers remain with the office awaiting transfer, they must receive a monthly allowance calculated at 60 per cent of the wage stated in their job offer for the first 60 days. From day 61 to day 180, the allowance rises to 100 per cent.

Accommodation, food and necessary healthcare must be provided free of charge. Where placement is not completed within the permitted stay, the office must arrange the worker’s return at its expense without deducting the airfare from the allowance due.

Trial periods are limited to seven days with an individual employer, allowing both sides to assess the arrangement. A worker may undergo trials with no more than four employers, for a combined maximum of 28 days, and cannot be placed on trial twice with the same employer.

Employers lose their right to a service-fee refund if they misrepresent employment conditions, withhold wages for more than two consecutive months or three non-consecutive months within a year, or subject a worker to harassment or violence.

Refund rights also lapse where an employer knowingly fails to address a serious workplace risk threatening the worker’s safety or health.

Employers must notify the recruitment office within 30 days of a qualifying refund circumstance. Failure to do so allows the office to deduct up to five per cent of the service fee.

Recruitment office owners, partners and authorised signatories must be Omani. The owner or a partner must manage the activity full-time and be registered with the ministry as an employer.

The establishment must be registered with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority. Owners and partners must be at least 23, while the owner or managing partner must hold at least a General Education Diploma or have five years’ recruitment experience.

A two-year licence costs 300 RO and requires a financial guarantee of 5,000 RO deposited with the ministry.

Office premises must cover at least 80 square metres and include adequate worker rest space. Separate accommodation must be provided for male and female workers, meeting occupational safety and health requirements.

Branches may be opened after at least one year, subject to approval. Each branch requires an Omani manager, a separate 5,000 RO guarantee and a 300 RO fee.

Either an employer or a recruitment office may approach the competent ministry authority to settle a dispute during the contract period.

Where an office’s financial liability is established or a settlement is reached, payment must be made within 15 days. If the office fails to comply, the ministry may deduct the employer’s established entitlement from the financial guarantee.

A licence may be suspended where five or more complaints establish breaches by an office within one month. It must be cancelled where 20 or more such complaints are established within six months.

Other grounds for cancellation include false licensing documents, unauthorised management or licence transfers, and proven offences involving forced labour or human trafficking.

The penalty schedule includes a fine of 200 RO for each uninsured service contract and 100 RO for each recruitment contract affected by a breach of the recruitment deadline. Administrative fines are doubled where the violation is repeated within two years.