Oman

Oman became a Party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on June 7, 2005.

Smoke Free Places

Smoking in indoor public places and workplaces is restricted to designated smoking rooms except in “places of worship, educational institutions, government departments, health facilities and sports settings,” which must be completely smoke free. Smoking is prohibited in all means of public transport. Sub-national jurisdictions may enact smoke free laws that are more stringent than the national law.

Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship

There is a ban on most forms of direct tobacco advertising as well as many forms of promotion. However, some forms of tobacco advertising and promotion, such as point-of-sale product display and retailer incentive programs, may escape the ban. Although sponsorship by the tobacco industry is not completely prohibited, publicity of the sponsorship is prohibited.

Tobacco Packaging and Labeling

Standardized packaging is required for all available tobacco products. Smoked tobacco products must display combined text/picture health warnings covering 50 percent of the front and back of the package. The law does not contain specific rotation requirements, instead stating that warnings are to be updated “as required by the public interest.” Smokeless tobacco products are banned. Misleading packaging and labeling, which could include terms such as “light,” “mild,” and “low,” and other signs, is prohibited.

Cigarette Contents and Disclosures

The law regulates specified contents of cigarettes, including restricting the use of certain herbs, spices, and other flavorings. The law requires that manufacturers disclose to government authorities information on the contents of their products.

Sales Restrictions

The law prohibits the sale of smokeless tobacco products. There are no restrictions on the sale of single cigarettes, sales via vending machine or internet, or sales based on location. The sale of tobacco products is prohibited to persons under the age of 18.

E-Cigarettes

The sale of e-cigarettes is prohibited. There are no restrictions on the use or advertising, promotion and sponsorship of e-cigarettes.

Roadmap to Tobacco Control Legislation

Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources Ministerial Decision No. 272/2010 regulates smoking in enclosed public places (including workplaces), while Ministerial Decree No. 286/2008 on Regulation of Occupational Safety and Health regulates, among other things, smoking in the workplace. Some sub-national jurisdictions have adopted local regulations on smoking in public places.

Ministry of Health Ministerial Decree No. 42/2016 to Amend Some Provisions of the Regulation of the Press and Publications Law prohibits tobacco advertising in all print, audio, visual, and electronic media. In Ministerial Decree No. 43/2018, the Ministry of Information further amended the regulation in order to explicitly prohibit tobacco advertising via billboards. Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources Ministerial Decision No. 272/2010 prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion in public places, and therefore addresses some indirect forms of advertising and promotion.

Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion Ministerial Decision No. 67/2023 adopts Omani Standard Specification OS 1655:2022 for Plain Packaging of Tobacco Products and makes it binding in Oman. The Standard requires plain packaging of all available tobacco products and increases the size of the combined health warnings to 65 percent of product packaging. 

Some laws ban certain types of tobacco products, including: Ministry of Commerce and Industry Ministerial Decree No. 38/2010 to Ban the Importing and Sale of Chewing Tobacco (Smokeless); Ministry of Commerce and Industry Ministerial Decree No. 327/2015 Regarding the Import Ban of E-Cigarette and E-Shisha; and Decree No. 698/2015 Regarding the Trade Ban of E-Cigarette and E-Shisha.

Review Status

This country’s legal measures were reviewed by our legal staff. No in-country lawyers or tobacco control experts reviewed our analysis.