The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones was established pursuant to Royal Decree No. (105/2020) issued on 18 August 2020. It enjoys financial and administrative autonomy and reports to the Council of Ministers.

The Authority supervises the Special Economic Zone at Duqm, the Free Zone at Al Mazyunah, the Free Zone in Salalah, the Free Zone in Sohar, and any other special economic zone or free zone.

Pursuant to Royal Decree No. (53/2022) issued on 28 June 2022, the mandate of the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates was transferred to the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones, which now exercises that Establishment’s powers for setting public policy, regulation, oversight, supervision, and standardisation of the services, facilities and incentives offered to investors.

The Authority proposes policies and strategic plans for special economic zones and free zones in a way that supports the State’s development plans, submits them to the Council of Ministers for approval, and then implements, monitors and evaluates the approved policies and plans. It prepares studies, plans and programmes related to its mandate; proposes the establishment of special economic zones and free zones; and undertakes the procedures necessary for issuing a Royal Decree to create each zone, defining its location and boundaries, and specifying the incentives, benefits and facilities granted to both the operating entity and the operating company, while also regulating and monitoring the investment environment within those zones.

The Authority further promotes investment opportunities in special economic zones and free zones inside and outside the Sultanate of Oman, in coordination with the competent bodies, and approves the incorporation of companies, under the applicable laws, for the purpose of developing, managing, operating or promoting those zones or their core sectors.

The Financial Services Authority was established pursuant to Royal Decree No. 20/2024. It is a corporate body with financial and administrative independence and reports to the Council of Ministers. Its headquarters are in the Governorate of Muscat, and the Authority’s Board of Directors may, by decision, establish branches in other governorates. All allocations, assets, rights, obligations and property of the Capital Market Authority have been transferred to the Financial Services Authority, and all employees of the Capital Market Authority have been transferred to it with their existing grades. The Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Financial Services Authority issues the regulations and decisions necessary to implement the provisions of the attached Statute; until those regulations and decisions are issued, the existing laws, regulations and decisions shall remain in force insofar as they do not conflict with its provisions.

The Board of Directors of the Financial Services Authority shall form the committee referred to in Article (24) of the Accounting and Auditing Profession Regulation Law, provided that the committee includes at least two members who are accountants.

The Oman Charitable Organization undertakes a wide range of charitable work aimed at assisting those in need both inside and outside the Sultanate of Oman. The Organization also contributes whenever aid is required to confront disasters or individual or collective emergencies. In addition, it supports social-care projects and programmes that serve children, orphans, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and other charitable activities in the country.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority was established by Royal Decree No. 30/2002, issued on 12 March 2002, to regulate the telecommunications sector. It is a corporate body with financial and administrative independence; its headquarters are in Muscat, and its assets are deemed public property. The Authority obtained the approval of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the international body responsible for managing and allocating Internet names and numbers, to adopt the principal domain “.عمان”, beneath which sites registered under Arabic-language names within the Sultanate of Oman will be catalogued.

The National Records and Archives Authority is the body responsible for preserving, collecting, classifying and archiving records and archives in the Sultanate of Oman. Since its establishment on 2 July 2007 under Royal Decree No. 60/2007, it has worked to develop the records sector through a suite of programmes keeping pace with advances in preservation technology, realising its vision of a scientifically based records system that organises document management in government entities, advances the field of records, and fosters effective use of records to support scientific research and intellectual and artistic creativity.

The Authority holds more than 577 000 records in paper, electronic and other formats, a number that continues to grow, reflecting ongoing efforts alongside the records of the competent bodies within the Sultanate of Oman. It also safeguards official state records, as well as private and family papers, in a manner that ensures their safety and facilitates researchers’ access to them.

The Authority maintains distinguished relations with numerous archival institutions worldwide. It has signed 19 memoranda of understanding with various countries and international archival centres and institutions, and it pursues every available diplomatic and bilateral channel, particularly with states that have historical, economic, political or geographic ties, to conclude contracts and bilateral agreements that secure originals or, more commonly, certified copies of relevant archival materials, especially those held in foreign archives.

In line with its mandate, the Authority has fostered international cooperation by organising 22 conferences and scholarly symposia, and it has enriched local and international libraries with studies and research through the publication of more than 44 document-based titles that highlight Oman’s historical stature and support researchers and specialists at large.

On 26 February 2011, Royal orders were issued to establish an independent body for consumer protection, followed on 28 February 2011 by Royal Decree No. 26/2011 creating the Public Authority for Consumer Protection. The Authority’s statute was promulgated on 6 April 2011 by Royal Decree No. 53/2011.

His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik subsequently issued Royal Decree No. 77/2020, changing the name “Public Authority for Consumer Protection” to “Consumer Protection Authority.” From its inception, the Authority has enacted legislation, regulations and powers aimed at price stability; informing consumers about, and combating, misleading advertisements; receiving and verifying complaints from consumers and associations and finding appropriate solutions; continually monitoring commercial activity and the movement of goods and services; ensuring the availability of basic commodities; encouraging competition; combating commercial fraud and monopolistic practices harmful to the national economy; and devising plans and work programmes to protect, enhance and develop consumer rights.

Royal Decree No. 85/2020 renamed the “Public Authority for Civil Aviation” as the “Civil Aviation Authority.” The Public Authority for Civil Aviation had originally been established by Royal Decree No. 33/2012 on 26 May 2012 as a corporate body with financial and administrative independence. The Authority regulates the civil-aviation sector and improves its performance in step with the rapid evolution of aviation and airport projects. It also seeks to attract technical specialisations in aviation fields, strengthen the status of national cadres working in the sector, and set the standards governing civil-aviation activities and air-transport operations in the Sultanate of Oman.

The Omani Authority for Academic Accreditation was created by Royal Decree No. 54/2010, issued on 3 May 2010, to replace the Accreditation Council. Article 1 of Royal Decree No. 9/2021 renamed it the “Omani Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education,” and Article 4 placed it under the Council of Ministers.

All government and private schools, higher-education institutions and other concerned bodies must comply with the academic-accreditation and quality-assurance systems, standards and procedures set by the Authority, and must supply the Authority with any data and statistics it deems necessary to perform its mandate. Since its establishment, the Authority has worked to develop a national system for higher-education quality management that is grounded in international best practices while taking into account the specific requirements of the local Omani environment.

The Environment Authority was established by Royal Decree No. 106/2020. Under that Decree, all allocations, assets, rights, obligations and property of the former Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs relating to environmental affairs were transferred to the Authority.

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs had itself been created on 9 September 2007 by Royal Decree No. 90/2007, after several organisational and structural stages in national environmental work. The process began in 1974 with the establishment of the Office of the Environmental Protection Adviser, whose most notable task was to launch and develop the project to reintroduce the Arabian oryx to its natural habitats.

Royal Decree No. 107/2020 established the Authority of Small and Medium Enterprises Development, defined its remit and approved its organisational structure. The Decree transferred to the new Authority all allocations, assets, rights, obligations and property of both the Authority of Small and Medium Enterprise Development and Al Raffd Fund, including the Fund’s capital and the annual support allocated to it in the State General Budget.

His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik issued Royal Decree No. 78/2020, changing the name of the Electricity and Related Water Sector Regulation Authority to the Authority for Public Services Regulation and assigning additional competences to it.

The Public Authority for Electricity and Water had been established earlier by Royal Decree No. 92/2007 on 9 September 2007, following the 2004 privatisation of the electricity sector. The Authority regulates the electricity sector and the related water sector in the Sultanate of Oman in accordance with the law, and its headquarters are in the Governorate of Muscat. With corporate status and financial and administrative independence, it may own the assets necessary for achieving its objectives, and its funds are considered public funds. The Authority works to guarantee the provision of electricity and water services throughout the Sultanate of Oman and to protect the interests of subscribers. It also facilitates the privatisation of the electricity and water sector, ensures that subscribers are protected and supplied with electricity, and implements public policy for the sector through the programmes and plans needed to develop that policy.

The Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority was established (as the General Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance) by Royal Decree No. 3/2013 on 8 January 2013 as a corporate body with financial and administrative independence under the Royal Oman Police. Its statute was promulgated on 30 November 2014 by Royal Decree No. 68/2014. Guided by a clear, forward-looking strategy, the Authority aims to be the leading provider of specialised emergency services in the Sultanate of Oman, delivering civil-protection, firefighting, search-and-rescue, ambulance services and hazardous-materials incident response with a high degree of efficiency and professionalism, all in pursuit of its goal of safeguarding lives and property. Royal Decree No. 39/2021 changed the name “Public Authority for Civil Defense and Ambulance” to “Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority”.