The Arabian Stories, 21 September 2026: Oman’s Supreme Judicial Council and Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion have issued a unified guide to litigation procedures before the Investment and Trade Court, integrating judicial requirements with business needs.
The guide consolidates litigation routes, court jurisdictions, and requirements for registering lawsuits, applications, and appeals, providing a practical reference for litigants, investors, and legal professionals. It introduces electronic integration between the court platform and government entities, enabling retrieval of company data, civil status information, and enforcement files directly from official systems.
Procedures such as filing lawsuits, registering appeals, submitting pleadings, receiving judgments, and following up enforcement requests can now be completed electronically. The Case Preparation Office, staffed around the clock, verifies party details, collects fees, and ensures compliance before referring cases to the competent circuit.
Litigation before the Investment and Trade Court is structured across three levels — primary circuits, appellate circuits, and the Commercial Circuit of the Supreme Court — under Oman Sultani Decree No. 35/2025 on the Establishment of the Investment and Trade Court and the Issuance of Its Law. Jurisdiction covers disputes involving merchants, investment contracts, partnerships, bankruptcy, banking, contracting, transport, trademarks, patents, and unfair competition.
The guide sets clear procedural timeframes: defendants must be notified within three working days, hearings scheduled within 15 days, preliminary rulings issued within 10 days, and judgments delivered within 90 days (extendable by 45 days). Experts have 60 days to submit reports, with possible extensions. Appeal periods range from seven to 30 days depending on case type.
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