Company formation, secretarial and corporate governance

We regularly advise on the establishment and licensing of all types of legal entity in Oman (both onshore and in its free zones), including:

• Limited liability companies
• Sole proprietor companies
• Closed joint stock companies (SAOCs)
• Public joint stock companies (SAOGs)

We are a full service law firm and we advise on all matters associated with company formation, including licensing and operational matters. Licensing requirements can be onerous, and we have excellent relationships with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, the Oman Chamber of Commerce, and the various Ministries and Authorities responsible for issuing sector-specific licences.

We regularly advise leading international companies on the structuring of their equity investments into Oman under the Foreign Capital Investment Law and other applicable Omani laws and regulations.

We are retained as legal counsel by many of Oman’s leading joint stock companies, and we have developed a set of processes and procedures to ensure adherence to corporate governance laws, regulations and codes of practice. Our work includes:

• Advising on corporate governance rules under the Companies Law and Codes of Corporate Governance;
• Attending and advising on best practice at AGMs and EGMs;
• Drafting and reviewing Articles of Association;
• Providing training for the Boards of Directors of public joint stock companies;
• Drafting terms of references for the Boards of Directors of public joint stock companies, and Committees thereof;
• Reviewing corporate governance statements.