MUSCAT: The guide brings together judicial and procedural requirements with the needs of Oman’s business and investment environment, outlining litigation routes, court jurisdictions, and requirements for registering lawsuits, applications and appeals. It provides a practical reference for litigants, investors, business owners and legal professionals.
The guide details electronic integration between the Investment and Trade Court platform and relevant government entities to streamline and accelerate judicial procedures.
The system allows company data to be retrieved electronically from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, while information relating to parties can be obtained through relevant government systems.
It also enables a number of procedures to be completed electronically, including retrieving data on individuals from the Civil Status Department of the Royal Oman Police, company information, and information relating to agents, appeals and enforcement files.
The guide explains the electronic process for filing a lawsuit, from entering the platform and selecting the judicial circuit, case type and main claim to entering details of the parties, uploading documents, reviewing the application and submitting it to the Case Preparation Office.
Electronic services also include registration of primary lawsuits and appeals, challenges before the Commercial Circuit of the Supreme Court, applications and grievances, requests to suspend execution, submission of pleadings and documents, receipt of judgments and enforcement formulas, viewing hearing dates and decisions, and registering and following up enforcement requests.
The Case Preparation Office handles procedural and preparatory work for lawsuits and appeals. According to the guide, a specialised team operates around the clock, seven days a week, to examine cases, verify party details and documents, collect fees, ensure procedural requirements are met and notify the parties before electronically referring case files to the competent court or circuit.
According to the guide, litigation before the Investment and Trade Court consists of three levels: primary circuits, appellate circuits and the Commercial Circuit of the Supreme Court, in accordance with Royal Decree No. 35/2025.
A single-judge circuit handles cases valued at up to RO100,000, urgent matters falling within the court’s jurisdiction and related petitions.
A three-judge circuit handles cases of undetermined value, cases exceeding RO100,000, and other matters and applications assigned to it by law.
The court’s jurisdiction includes disputes involving merchants arising from their commercial activities, disputes arising from investment contracts, disputes between partners, liquidation and bankruptcy claims, as well as cases involving banking, contracting, transport and supply contracts.
Its jurisdiction also covers trademarks, brokerage, patents, industrial intellectual property and unfair competition, among other disputes assigned to the court under the law.
The guide sets out document requirements according to the type of dispute, covering investment and company disputes, cheques and bills of exchange, commercial sales, bankruptcy, transport, brokerage, insurance, supply, intellectual property, commercial agencies, loans and financing, commercial mortgages, arbitration, tax disputes, commercial guarantees, contracting, enforcement disputes, appeals and challenges.
It also outlines procedural timeframes, including notification of defendants within a maximum of three working days after registration requirements are completed.
According to the guide, 15 days are allocated for setting a hearing from the date of referral, while 10 days are specified for issuing a preliminary ruling. A period of 90 days is set for issuing a judgment after the hearing is scheduled, with the possibility of an additional 45 days for reasons deemed appropriate by the court.
Experts are given 60 days to submit their reports, with an additional 15 days possible upon request and for serious reasons.
The guide sets the appeal period at 15 days, or seven days for judgments issued in urgent matters and appeals against orders on petitions. Appeals against judgments of appellate circuits before the Commercial Circuit of the Supreme Court have a 30-day period.
The guide forms part of ongoing efforts to develop judicial services and procedures, improve their efficiency and clarity, and strengthen cooperation between the judicial system and institutions responsible for the business environment in Oman.