Before 2018 an Omani commercial party that wanted institutional arbitration had to go abroad for it. The Oman Commercial Arbitration Centre, created by Royal Decree 26/2018, changed that, and its Arbitration Rules have been in force since 6 December 2020.
What the OCAC is
OCAC was established by Royal Decree 26/2018, dated 17 October 2018 and published in Official Gazette 1265 on 21 October 2018. The decree creates a centre under the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry with legal personality and financial and administrative independence — the independence matters, because it is what separates the Centre's decisions from the Chamber's membership interests.
Its board was approved by Decision No. 37/2019, and its permanent headquarters opened in October 2021. It provides arbitration, mediation and conciliation.
Some law-firm notes date the Centre to July 2018. The decree's own date, 17 October 2018, is the one to cite.
The Rules
The OCAC Arbitration Rules were issued by Decision No. 8/2020 and came into effect on 6 December 2020. Rules for mediation and conciliation were developed and published alongside them.
Because the institution and its rules are recent, there is far less published material on how OCAC tribunals actually run a case than for DIAC or the ICC. Treat procedural questions as open and settle them in the first procedural order rather than assuming an institutional practice exists.
Why it exists, and why that matters to a clause
The point the decree was answering: before OCAC, parties were effectively required to arbitrate Omani disputes outside Oman. That meant foreign seats, foreign counsel rates, and an award that had to be enforced in Oman as a foreign award under the New York Convention, with the Article V arguments that invites.
An Omani-seated OCAC award is a domestic award before the Omani courts. For a counterparty whose assets are in Oman, that is the whole argument for naming OCAC — it removes a recognition step rather than merely relocating the hearing.
When the OCAC is the right forum
Name it where performance and assets are Omani and you expect to enforce in Oman. It is the forum with the shortest route from award to execution there.
Be more cautious where the dispute is genuinely international, the sums are large, or you need a deep bench and settled procedural practice — a young institution is a real consideration, not a snobbery. In those cases a neutral regional seat with an Omani enforcement strategy behind it is often the better structure.
Frequently asked questions
What law established the Oman Commercial Arbitration Centre?
Royal Decree 26/2018, dated 17 October 2018 and published in Official Gazette 1265 on 21 October 2018. It establishes the Centre under the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry with legal personality and financial and administrative independence. Its board was approved by Decision No. 37/2019. Some law-firm notes give July 2018; the decree's own date is 17 October 2018.
When did the OCAC Arbitration Rules come into force?
They were issued by Decision No. 8/2020 and came into effect on 6 December 2020. Mediation and conciliation rules were developed and published alongside them.
Why was the OCAC created?
Before it existed, parties were effectively required to arbitrate Omani commercial disputes outside Oman, which meant a foreign seat and enforcing the resulting award in Oman as a foreign award under the New York Convention. An Omani-seated OCAC award is a domestic award before the Omani courts, which removes that recognition step.
Is the OCAC a good choice for a large international dispute?
It depends on where enforcement will happen. For an Omani counterparty with Omani assets it offers the shortest route from award to execution. For a genuinely international dispute of significant value, the Centre's relative youth — rules only in force since December 2020, and little published material on tribunal practice — is a real factor, and a neutral seat with an Omani enforcement strategy may serve better.
Matter on your desk?
We act for claimants and respondents in GCC-seated arbitration, and as co-counsel with local firms where the seat requires it. If a contract on your desk names one of these institutions — or you are deciding which to name — send us the clause and a partner will come back on forum, enforceability and the realistic cost.
Last updated: 3 November 2026. Contact us for matter-specific advice.