Oman's Consumer Protection Law for online stores: returns, invoices, warranty and discounts

The law, the regulation and who enforces them

The Consumer Protection Law was issued by Royal Decree 66/2014 on 30 November 2014, published in Official Gazette 1081 on 7 December 2014, and took effect three months later. It applies to every "supplier", which the law defines as any natural or legal person who trades in a product or provides a service to a consumer. An online store, a social media seller and a marketplace seller are all suppliers.

Its Executive Regulation, Decision 77/2017, was issued on 9 March 2017. The CPA publishes the law and the regulation together, in Arabic and in an English edition marked as the second edition of 2025, which is the text quoted in this guide. Where the English and Arabic differ, rely on the Arabic text published in the Official Gazette.

These rules sit alongside the licence you need to sell online. The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion's e-commerce regulation, Ministerial Decision 499/2023, decides whether you may sell online at all; our guide to the e-commerce licence in Oman covers it. The Consumer Protection Law decides how you must treat the customer once you do.

The four extra duties for remote contracts

The regulation defines e-contracting as "a contract signed between the supplier and the consumer through electronic means." Article 33 (repeated) then applies to any supplier, advertiser or agent located in Oman, or with a representative or agent in Oman, when it sells through a remote contract. Without prejudice to the rest of the law, it must:

Returns and refunds: the 15-day rule

Article 16 of the law gives the consumer, within 15 days of receiving any product other than fast-perishable consumer goods, the right to exchange it, or return it and get its value back "without any additional cost", if the product has a defect, does not conform to the standard specification, or does not suit the purpose it was bought for. The customer must show proof of purchase, and the defect must not come from misuse. Article 15 of the regulation applies this to the goods in its Annex 2, adds that repair can be requested within the warranty period, and article 16 lets the customer also claim compensation for damage.

Two points are often misunderstood. First, the right in these texts is tied to a defect or non-conformity, including the wrong item or an item that is not as described. The texts we read do not create a general change-of-mind right, so whether you accept returns of unwanted but sound products is your policy decision, and many stores offer it to compete. Second, "without any additional cost" means the customer should not pay return shipping or restocking fees on a defective or wrong item.

Article 20 of the regulation voids the most common shortcuts. Whether it appears on a website, an invoice, a sign or a label, the following terms are invalid:

• The phrase "Sold goods are neither returnable nor exchangeable."
• A return period shorter than the legal period.
• Denying the consumer a refund for a product or service.
• Requiring the consumer to pay the full price before receiving the product, if delivery is not immediate upon purchase.
• Limiting the warranty to the product itself without covering labour or other related costs.
• Giving the supplier the unilateral right to change or end the contract, or to set the price on delivery.

What the full-prepayment clause means for checkout

The fourth clause above deserves attention, because most online orders are paid at checkout and delivered days later. Read literally, a condition requiring full payment before receipt is invalid when delivery is not immediate. We are developers, not lawyers, and we have not seen published CPA guidance on how this applies to ordinary card payments at checkout, so ask the CPA or your lawyer before relying on any reading of it.

In practice, stores reduce the risk by offering cash or card on delivery alongside online payment, refunding promptly when an order cannot be delivered on the stated date, and taking deposits rather than full payment on made-to-order goods. Our comparison of payment gateways in Oman covers which providers support these flows.

Invoices: Arabic, with your commercial registration number

Articles 15 and 24 of the law entitle every customer to an invoice in Arabic, written clearly, and the store may add other languages. Article 12 of the regulation adds that the invoice must be issued "whether requested by the consumer or not" and lists what it must contain:

• The supplier's name, trade name, commercial registration number and business details.
• The date of the contract.
• The price, the type of product or service and any applicable taxes.
• The quantity, by number, weight or volume.
• The delivery date, if any, and the method of execution.
• The signature and seal of the supplier or its legal representative.
• The warranty period, maintenance period or free service period, which may be in a separate document.

Invoices, continued: instalments and the CR number everywhere

If you sell in instalments, including through a store-run payment plan, article 13 adds the total instalment amount, the profit rate and how it is calculated, the number and value of instalments, the period, late-payment penalties, and each party's rights over ownership during the plan. Article 14 requires the supplier to make sure the customer has seen and approved these details.

Article 6 of the law separately requires every business in the commercial register to show its registration number on correspondence, invoices, commercial advertisements and other documents it issues to consumers. For an online store, put the CR number in the site footer, on order confirmation emails and on the invoice PDF. If you are VAT-registered, the invoice also has to meet the Tax Authority's rules, and e-invoicing under Fawtara is being phased in; see our guide to e-invoicing in Oman.

Product pages: accurate information, in Arabic

Article 19 of the law requires suppliers to give correct information and to show in Arabic, visibly on the product, its price, weight, production and expiry dates, name, components, country of origin and standard number, with other languages allowed in addition. Article 20 prohibits false or misleading advertising, article 28 prohibits charging more than the advertised price, and article 29 requires used or defective goods to be disclosed and recorded on the invoice.

The regulation turns these into specific offences in article 19, including delivering a different product or quantity from what was agreed, failing to deliver on the delivery date, charging more than the advertised price, not stating whether goods are used, and not showing prices at all. Products that could harm safety if misused need warnings and instructions in both Arabic and English under article 22.

On a website, our working practice is to give every product page an Arabic version with the same specifications, origin and expiry where relevant, a price that includes VAT, a clear used or refurbished label where it applies, and photos of the actual item. Our Arabic website RTL checklist covers the build side.

Warranty: at least three months on listed goods

Article 17 of the law gives the consumer a warranty from the supplier on every product, which passes to the final consumer if the product is resold, and any agreement to the contrary is void. Article 27 of the regulation fixes a minimum of three months, or longer if agreed or required by another law, for the goods in Annex 2 and the services in Annex 3. For anything not listed, the contract sets the period.

Annex 2 is broad. It includes all types of vehicles and spare parts, tyres, electrical and electronic devices and their accessories, watches, gold, silver and jewellery, household tools and utensils, children's supplies and toys, home furniture, clothing and textiles, leather products, cosmetics and perfume, solar energy equipment and medical supplies. A store selling any of these should state the warranty period on the product page and the invoice.

Importers should note article 33 of the law. A commercial agent bears the manufacturer's obligations during the warranty period and must provide spare parts and repair; if a warranty repair takes more than 15 days, it must lend the customer a similar product free of charge. Where there is no agent in Oman, the supplier carries those obligations itself, which is the common case for stores importing directly.

Sales, discounts and promotions need approval first

Article 31 of the law prohibits promotional offers or price discounts without a licence or approval from the competent body, coordinated with the CPA. The regulation sets out what goes with the request. For promotions, article 35 asks for how the promotion will run, the leaflets, the prizes or gifts, and the price before and after the offer with sales invoices from before it. For discounts, article 36 asks for the number of items on sale per type, the price before and during the sale shown in clear type with the discount percentage, and invoices from before the sale.

Two consequences matter for online stores. A "was" price must be a real earlier selling price you can evidence with invoices, not an invented anchor. And site-wide sale banners for occasions like Ramadan, Eid, National Day or White Friday should be planned early enough to get approval before they go live. Article 34 adds that gifts and free services given with a purchase carry the same guarantees as the product.

Fines and enforcement

The law sets criminal penalties by article. Under article 41, breaching the rules on prior approval for advertising, the commercial registration number, the Arabic invoice, repair and maintenance, or promotions and discounts carries a fine of OMR 100 to OMR 5,000. Under article 40, misleading advertising, refusing to take back defective goods, or charging more than the advertised price carries three months to three years in prison, a fine of OMR 2,000 to OMR 50,000, or either. Article 42 extends penalties to directors and managers who knew of the violation.

Alongside these, article 43 of the regulation allows administrative fines of up to OMR 1,000 for breaching the regulation, doubled for a repeat violation, plus up to OMR 50 a day while a violation continues, capped at OMR 2,000. CPA officers with judicial enforcement powers may inspect premises and documents, and the public prosecution can order a business closed temporarily while a case is decided.

Most cases start with a customer complaint to the CPA. Article 41 of the regulation lets the CPA warn the store to correct the violation, fine it, refer it to the prosecution, or close the complaint, including when an amicable settlement is reached. A store that answers complaints quickly and refunds when it should rarely gets past the first step.

Compliance checklist for an Omani online store

How OGB Labs helps

OGB Labs builds ecommerce stores in Muscat with these rules built in: Arabic invoices generated at checkout, return request flows, delivery date display, bilingual product pages and cash on delivery. We are not a law firm, so we work alongside your lawyer on the policy wording. See how to start an online store in Oman or our ecommerce development page, or contact us with your catalogue.