Oman: Your Baseline Rights under MD 574/2025

Oman Ministry of Labour — call 80077000

80077000 is the hotline of the Oman Ministry of Labour, the operative authority under MD 574/2025. Anonymous complaints are accepted. Conciliation runs for up to 30 days under Article 9 of Royal Decree 53/2023 before the matter is referred to the Oman Labour Court.

Your baseline rights under MD 574/2025

• Article 8 — recruitment-fee ban + 25% deduction ceiling. Recruitment fees are the employer's burden, not yours. Wage deductions cannot exceed 25%.
• Article 13 — dignity / humane-treatment baseline. The employer is bound to a treatment baseline that the Ministry of Labour can enforce.
• Article 14 — minimum housing standards. Specifies the physical-conditions floor for worker accommodation.
• Article 18 — worker duties paired with employer duties. Reciprocal obligations defining the working relationship.
• Article 31 — end-of-service gratuity. Half-month wage per year of service for workers with at least 2 years' service, paid at separation.
• Minimum age 21 — workers below 21 cannot legally be employed as domestic workers.
• Daily 12-hour cap with continuous 8-hour rest — hard daily limit.
• Passport retention banned — independently unlawful.
• Mandatory electronic contract registration with the Ministry of Labour.
• Arabic contract with translation — Arabic prevails before the Ministry and the Labour Court.
• Employer-funded repatriation upon end of contract— secondary sources cite a 30-day window; the specific figure is pending Gazette 1617 confirmation.

Verification note: article numbering used on this page relies on secondary sources (Times of Oman interview, Decree.om blog, Amnesty Oman 2025, Commitbiz). Confirm via Oman Official Gazette No. 1617 if you plan to cite specific articles in court papers.

Your country's embassy welfare attaché in Muscat

Every embassy in Muscat has a labour or welfare attaché. Calling your embassy is FREE and you do not need permission from your sponsor. A relative back home can also file on your behalf.

Don't see your country? Migrant-Rights.org maintains a directory of active NGOs in each Gulf country: migrant-rights.org

Copy-paste SOS message

This message fits into one WhatsApp / SMS / email. Fill in the bracketed parts and send it to the Ministry of Labour, your embassy's welfare attaché, or a trusted relative at home.

I am [your name], a [nationality] domestic worker in Oman, in [governorate].
I work for [sponsor name].
Under Ministerial Decision 574/2025:
  • Passport held by sponsor: [YES / NO]
  • Recruitment fees charged to me: [YES / NO — amount]
  • Wage deductions over 25%: [YES / NO]
  • Daily hours over 12 / no 8-hour rest: [YES / NO]
  • Housing substandard (Article 14): [YES / NO — describe]
  • End-of-service gratuity (Article 31) denied at separation: [YES / NO]
  • Electronic contract registered with Ministry of Labour: [YES / NO / unsure]
Please open a complaint with the Oman Ministry of Labour on 80077000 and contact my embassy's labour attaché in Muscat.
My resident card / iqama last 4 digits: [XXXX].

Right now — what to do

1. If you are in immediate physical danger: dial Oman emergency 9999.
2. Call the Ministry of Labour on 80077000. Anonymous fine. Write down the complaint reference number, the officer's name, and the deadline by which they will respond.
3. Send a written demand to the sponsor citing MD 574/2025 — the Commoner Law letter below does this with article numbers and the right deadline. Translate to Arabic if possible.
4. Call your embassy's welfare attaché in Muscat. Use the list above.
5. If your passport is retained: demand its return as a first-priority item. Retention is independently unlawful.
6. Take a screenshot of this page or save the hotline number under a discreet name in your contacts.

After the emergency call — the demand letter

Once you have opened the file on 80077000, you will want to put your demand in writing. One Commoner Law product is tailored to MD 574/2025. It is paid (the letter is $5), but the Ministry of Labour and your embassy are always free and should always come first.

• Oman Domestic-Worker Baseline Rights Demand Letter ($5) — formal demand to the sponsor citing MD 574/2025 article-by- article, with a 14-day window to comply.
• Emergency: Gulf Domestic Worker (general) — broader emergency directory for the six GCC countries (free).