Law: Royal Decree No. 6 of 2022 promulgating the law on the protection of personal data dated 9 February 2022 (the Law) (only available in Arabic here)

Regulator: The Law designates the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT) as the regulatory authority responsible for giving effect to the Law.

Summary: Royal Decree No. 6 of 2022 promulgating the law on the protection of personal data dated February 9, 2022 (only available in Arabic here) (the Law) came into effect on February 13, 2023.

The Law is Oman's first comprehensive data protection law and consists of 32 articles that introduce data protection principles and rights for data subjects, bringing the country's legislative regime into closer alignment with global data protection laws. However, the Law only provides for consent as a legal basis for processing of personal data. There are no alternative legal bases for processing. Furthermore, the Law appoints the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT) as the regulatory authority responsible for enforcement. The MTCIT is responsible for issuing awaited executive regulations for the Law.