Ministerial decision issued to regulate household business activities

Business Sunday 24/July/2022 16:21 PM
By: Times News Service
Ministerial decision issued to regulate household business activities

Muscat: The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion has issued a ministerial decision (No. 473/2022) promulgating a regulation on making homemade business products.

The decision streamlines and legalises the activities of owners of household business activities undertaken by citizens to generate income, protects the rights of sellers and buyers and secures customer confidence in commercial transactions within Oman and abroad.

As many as 9,092 commercial registers have been issued for such household business activities, according to the statistics of the ministry.

The decision bans practising any home-based business before the individual or the family obtains a license from the ministry in coordination with the authorities concerned.

The second article of the decision said that it is prohibited to engage in home business except after obtaining a license from the Ministry in coordination with the competent authority. everyone who engages in home business must correct status within 6 months from the date of their work

Article three stipulated that the following conditions are required to obtain a license:

1 - The applicant must be an Omani national.

 2- The age of the license applicant shall not be less than 18 years.

 3- The license applicant shall not have another license to practice any commercial, professional, craft or industrial activity.

 4- Pay the prescribed fee.

 Article four stated that the license application shall be submitted to the Ministry electronically, accompanied by the following:

 1- The title deed of the house where the activity is carried out, or the lease contract, or the approval of the homeowner in case the house is for others.

 2 - ID card or passport.

 3- Determining the home production work to be licensed.

 Article five stipulated that the license shall be issued for a period of three years at a fee of OMR 3. The license may be renewed for other similar periods with the same procedures and conditions, provided that the renewal application is submitted within 30 days before the expiry of the license period.

 Article six stated that the licensee is obligated to the following:

1- Compliance with the legislation regulating the licensed domestic production activity.

 2- Comply with the regulations governing the licensed activity from the competent authority.

 3- Familiarity with practicing licensed home business.

 4- Not to employ foreign manpower.

 5- Not to assign the license to others, even temporarily

6 - Not to place any advertising or promotional billboards on the house or external walls. It is allowed to place a small board at the entrance to the house showing the name of the licensee, the license number, the type of activity, and the phrase (home business ), provided that its area does not exceed 30 cm x 60 cm and that the board is flat.

7- Not to store any goods, equipment or machines outside the house.

8 - Not to store any toxic, dangerous or flammable materials or any other materials that may cause harm to public health in the place of activity.

Article seven said that the licensee is prohibited from doing the following:

 1- Practicing the activity after the expiry date of the license.

 2- Practicing the activity in a place other than the place where it is licensed to work.

Article eight: An administrative fine of OMR 100 shall be imposed on the licensee in case of violation of the provisions of this regulation, after being warned in writing by the competent authorities of the reasons for the violation, and given a period of three days to remove it. The fine shall be doubled in the event of a repeat violation. In the event that the violation is not removed, the Ministry may suspend the license for a period not exceeding three months, and the Ministry may - after the expiry of the aforementioned period without removing the violation - cancel the license.

Article nine : The licensee may appeal the penalties stipulated in Article (8) of these Regulations to the Minister within 60 days from the date of his notification thereof. The grievance shall be decided upon within 30 days from the date of its submission, and the lapse of this date without a response shall be deemed a rejection thereof. In all cases, the refusal decision must be justified.