Investment in Oman plays a major role in all developing economies; as it drives its dynamic basics of growth, development, and structural changes. Despite the prevailing economic, political and social circumstances at the Omani renaissance in 1970, the intensive programs on investment during the past four decades along with his majesty prudential guidelines have been able to transfer the modest oil revenues to a developed economic and social infrastructure, essential for leading sustainable development.

In fact, the Sultanate has the infrastructures that encourage and facilitate the national and foreign investment in Oman. Its geographical location that overlooks international and regional sea lanes along with the existence of Omani ports open new horizons for investment and free trading. Moreover, the Sultanate is characterized by its stable economy, strong infrastructure, and qualified human resources that guarantee the easiness of investment in Oman. Not to mention the regulations issued to support this open economic direction and to encourage foreign investments, which are gradually increasing by the Sultanate's engagement in international organizations, international trading organization, and free trading agreement with USA. Oman seeks attracting foreign investment through a number of incentives (Arabic only) such as:

• Competitive services' prices.
• Tax exemption for five years and it could be longer under certain conditions.
• No income tax for individuals.
• Freedom of transferring capitals and profits and freedom of exchanging foreign currency with fixed exchange rate.
• Full foreign property right: Property rate starts from 70% to 100% after obtaining the ministers' council consent.
• One Stop Shop service: It helps investors to get all the inquiries and transactions they need as soon as possible.
• Opening new office or representative office for foreign companies in Oman: Companies that run their businesses with the Government are allowed to open new offices or commercial representative offices in Oman.
• Various forms of business entities and its main advantages: Investors can form more than one legal entity in order to organize their business. Such entities are: public joint stock companies, public closed cooperation, limited liabilities companies, and holding companies. (For more information, follow the incentives link)

Within the framework of economic diversification based on exports, the Sultanate aims at the exploitation and industrialization of its natural resources; especially natural gas, and the increase of added value to those resources as the government had concentrated its efforts for marketing theses resources. The constant efforts resulted in signing agreements to establish some big industrial projects with the partnership of foreign capitals such as Polypropylene, Urea and Ammonia, Methanol, and Aluminum Smelter, Steel and Iron projects besides to other projects such as fertilizers project in Sur, and Qalhat Company for Natural Liquid Gas.

Investment Opportunities in Oman
Stressing on the importance of economy variation and magnifying the benefit of the strategic position of the Sultanate, besides to the consideration of the benefits gained by the foreign investment, the Government has adopted the idea of establishing some free zones in different parts of the Sultanate. These free zones are:

• Slalah Free Zone.
• Slalah Port.
• Sohar Industrial Port.
• Sohar Free Zone.
• Mazyona Free Zone.
• Masandam Free Zone.

You can find information in the portal on the Free Trading Zones or you can have a look at this document on the investment opportunities in Oman (Arabic only). These zones are considered to be great attractive zones, due to the completed infrastructures. Also, there are a lot of various opportunities in the field of infrastructures services projects, educational projects, oil, gas, health, tourism, and information technology.

In this regard, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry the Public Announcements service which helps to predict the trends and make strategic decisions improving the business environment for the good of Oman.

Exports and Imports in Oman
As one goal of the Sultanate first development plan states:" Working on finding a new national income that supports oil revenues and supersedes it in the future," the Sultanate deems it essential that it develops its non-oil exports and achieves the benefits expected from contacting the world through multi-national network by opening new markets for Omani products.

The Public Authority for Investment Promotion & Export Development is considered the main source of information about exports and imports in Oman. It pursues the Export Development Strategy (Arabic only) that will help to develop the non-oil exports in Oman. You can read more on the industrial exports in Oman through this paper that was presented at the Industrial Conference 2014 in Muscat.

Prizes
The Public Authority for Investment Promotion & Export Development got the UN trading and development conference prize (ONCTAD) as the Best Institution for Promoting Foreign Investment Directed to Exports in 2012.

Qais Mohammad bin Yusuf, Oman's Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment met and talked with Seyyed Shamsuddin Hossein, the head of the Special Commission for Growth and Development of Production and Monitoring the Implementation of Article 44 of the Constitution of the Islamic Council, at noon (Monday, May 18).

At the beginning of this meeting, the head of the special commission for the jump and boom of production and the principle 44 of the Islamic Council assessed the closeness and strength of relations between FIMA as continuous and stable and said: "Iran and Oman have always had close cooperation and continuous relations with each other and all-out efforts The government and parliament of the two countries have led to the deepening and development of relations in the political and economic fields.

Hosseini pointed out: "The indicators of the cooperation between the two countries are moving forward, but the economic relations between the two countries have not progressed in accordance with the political relations, and the efforts of the two countries to improve the level of economic cooperation equal to the friendly and political relations are important."

The head of the Special Commission for Growth and Development of Production of the Islamic Council added in the continuation of this meeting: "The Islamic Republic of Iran is looking for convergence between regional and neighboring countries".

Referring to the developments in the region and Iran's cooperation agreement with some countries in the region, he said: "The Islamic Republic of Iran has always welcomed the development of cooperation with the Persian Gulf countries and the establishment of regional cooperation in the direction of peace and international stability."

Referring to the readiness of our country to cooperate with Oman in various fields, Hosseini pointed out: "Iran has made significant progress in various industrial fields such as energy, industry, medicine and medical equipment, and the field of technology, and the interaction with Oman in these fields has been successful. It will benefit both countries."

The representative of the people of Tunkabon and Ramsar in the Islamic Council called for the promotion of parliamentary relations, especially in the economic field, and considered the role of parliamentary interactions between Iran and Oman in strengthening the relations between the governments to be effective and to expand the parliamentary relations between the two countries. And he emphasized the readiness and support of the Islamic Council for the approval of the agreements signed by the governments of the two countries.

In this regard, he emphasized: "Parliamentary movements in the fields of joint and special commissions and chambers of commerce of the two countries will strengthen the level of bilateral relations."

Shamsuddin Hosseini stated the importance of improving the level of relations between Iran and Oman in line with the strategic goals and in the direction of advancing bilateral relations and supporting the government and people of the two countries and emphasized the need for the increasing development of economic cooperation.

Qais Mohammad bin Youssef, Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment of Oman, expressing his satisfaction with the warm reception he and his accompanying delegation received in the Islamic Council, called for the promotion of commercial and economic cooperation between Iran and Oman, and expressed hope that the level of bilateral relations in parliamentary affairs would improve. And the governments of the two countries should be strengthened even more.

By stating Iran's industrial, pharmaceutical and technological advances and achievements, he stated his country's serious determination to strengthen relations with Iran, and for the development of joint cooperation, he considered the industrial capacities of our country as a basis for promoting trade exchanges and deepening cooperation.

The Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment of Oman, while inviting the members of the Special Commission for Growth and Development of Production of the Islamic Council to Muscat, said: "Strengthening parliamentary relations and exchanges is the source of improving the level of commercial and economic relations and improving the level of interactions between the two countries. It will be opened between Oman and Iran.

It is worth mentioning that in addition to the president of the Chamber of Commerce and the Omani ambassador and the economic delegation of that country, Dr. Nouri Qazaljeh, Dr. Ali Akbar Karimi, Dr. Mohammad Rashidi, Dr. Reza Taqipour, other members of the commission were also present in this meeting.