How to Open a Private Clinic in Oman: Licensing, Costs and Doctor Requirements

Opening a private clinic in Oman requires two separate regulatory tracks to be completed correctly: licensing the healthcare establishment itself and licensing the doctors or other healthcare professionals who will practise there. A commercial registration on its own does not authorise a clinic to treat patients.

The establishment process is handled through Oman’s Ministry of Health, while each foreign healthcare professional must also satisfy the professional licensing requirements that apply to their occupation and classification. The correct sequence matters because the proposed premises, scope of services, professional staff and facility category must all be consistent with the licence being requested.

What is required to open a private clinic in Oman?

A clinic, medical centre or medical complex must obtain approval and a final private-health-establishment licence from the Ministry of Health. The official private clinic licensing service covers the formal approval, review and licensing process for these establishment categories.

This means an investor should not treat company incorporation and healthcare licensing as the same task. The business entity, proposed healthcare activity, premises and clinical workforce need to be structured around the type of facility the Ministry of Health is expected to approve.

Oman’s healthcare sector includes a significant private component. According to the official health statistics for 2025, Oman had 98 hospitals, 36.7% of them in the private sector, while the number of physicians increased by 5.6% from the previous year. These figures indicate the scale of the healthcare system but should not be treated as proof that a specific clinic concept will be commercially viable.

Private clinic licensing process

The safest sequence is to secure the regulatory basis for the project before committing heavily to premises, fit-out or medical equipment. The Ministry of Health distinguishes between initial approval and the final establishment licence.

1. Define the intended facility category and scope of medical services.
2. Prepare the relevant commercial registration and applicant documents.
3. Apply for Ministry of Health initial approval.
4. Submit the proposed premises and internal layout for the required review.
5. Complete the premises and equipment according to the approved healthcare activity.
6. Arrange the required establishment documents, including the lease and other documents applicable to final licensing.
7. Request the final assessment or inspection.
8. Pay the applicable licensing fee after approval.
9. Receive the establishment licence before commencing regulated healthcare activity.

The Ministry of Health states that initial approval for a private clinic, centre or polyclinic is processed through its electronic health services using electronic authentication.

Initial approval from the Ministry of Health

Initial approval is the regulatory starting point for a new private clinic, medical centre or polyclinic. It allows the authority to assess the proposed applicant and healthcare activity before the project proceeds to final licensing.

The Ministry of Health currently lists an initial-approval fee of OMR 100 and an indicated processing period of five working days for that service. The initial approval requirements also include documents such as the commercial registration, proof of financial capability, a criminal-record certificate and a description of the intended scope of activity.

Initial approval should not be confused with the final operating licence. It is one stage in the licensing process and does not by itself permit the facility to begin treating patients.

Documents for the healthcare establishment

The document set changes with the facility category and stage of the application. For a new clinic or medical centre, the operator should expect the Ministry of Health to review both the legal entity and the physical healthcare establishment.

• Commercial registration aligned with the proposed healthcare activity.
• Applicant identification documents.
• Criminal-record certificate where required for initial approval.
• Evidence of financial capability for the initial-approval stage.
• Description of the proposed healthcare services.
• Premises and internal-layout documents required for review.
• Lease documentation for the final licensing stage.
• Medical-waste arrangements where required for final licensing.
• Approved or reserved facility name or trade mark where applicable.
• Any additional technical documents applicable to the specific facility category.

The Ministry of Health publishes the current new private health establishment licensing requirements, including documents needed for final approval. The final licence is stated to be valid for three years.

Licensing a foreign doctor in Oman

A foreign doctor cannot rely on the clinic’s licence to practise medicine. Professional licensing is a separate process, and the physician must satisfy the requirements for the relevant profession and classification.

The official medical staff professional licence process includes professional documentation, credential verification through DataFlow and professional liability insurance among the applicable requirements. The listed professional licensing fee for a non-Omani doctor is OMR 100.

The exact evidence required can differ by profession and classification. A general practitioner, specialist, nurse or other healthcare professional should therefore be assessed against the requirements for that specific professional category rather than against a generic checklist.

OMSB Occupational Classification exam

Many applicants still search for the “Oman Prometric exam”, but the current official terminology is the OMSB Occupational Classification examination. Where an examination is required for the profession, passing it forms part of the professional classification and licensing pathway rather than replacing the Ministry of Health licence.

The OMSB Occupational Classification testing system supports professional licensing and uses OMSB testing facilities as well as Pearson VUE test centres. Exam format, duration and requirements are not identical across all professions, so candidates should follow the specification for their own professional category.

Registration and scheduling are handled through Pearson VUE for OMSB examinations. Pearson VUE also states that the score report is sent to the email address registered by the candidate.

An OMSB exam result is not a medical licence, a work visa or an establishment licence. It is one component of the regulatory file where occupational classification testing applies.

Credential verification and professional documents

Professional documentation should be prepared before the licensing file reaches its final stage because inconsistencies in names, dates, qualifications or professional history can delay verification. The Ministry of Health professional-licensing route identifies DataFlow verification as part of the required process for healthcare staff.

• Passport and identity details matching the professional records.
• Medical or healthcare qualifications relevant to the requested classification.
• Professional certificates and experience documents required for the category.
• DataFlow verification where required.
• OMSB Occupational Classification examination result where applicable.
• Professional liability insurance.
• Other profession-specific evidence required by the licensing authority.

There is no single experience threshold, examination structure or interview requirement that can safely be applied to every foreign doctor. The correct standard depends on the profession, speciality and requested classification.

Official clinic licensing fees

Final establishment fees depend on the facility type and, for some categories, whether the establishment is inside or outside Muscat. These fees are separate from initial approval, professional licensing, company formation, premises, fit-out and other operating costs.

Facility	Official final licence fee
General clinic in Muscat	OMR 500
General clinic outside Muscat	OMR 300
Medical centre in Muscat	OMR 1,000
Medical centre outside Muscat	OMR 500
Medical complex in Muscat	OMR 2,000
Medical complex outside Muscat	OMR 1,000

These amounts are published through the Ministry of Health private health licensing service. The current initial-approval fee of OMR 100 is separate from the final establishment licence.

Private hospital licence

A private hospital should not be treated as a larger version of a clinic application. It follows a separate service with a wider project, capacity and engineering review.

Gov.om lists the fee for a private hospital licence at OMR 3,000. The service page also displays a 365-day service duration, reflecting the substantially broader approval process for a hospital project.

How long does clinic licensing take?

There is no reliable basis for promising that an entire clinic can be licensed within a few days. Different stages have different official processing periods, and the overall project duration also depends on premises approval, fit-out, documents, inspection and professional licensing.

The Ministry of Health lists five working days for the initial approval service. Gov.om, however, displays 180 days for the complete clinic, medical centre and medical complex licensing service.

For planning purposes, the official full-service duration is more useful than older claims that the final licence is routinely issued within three to seven days. Applicants should build their schedule around the entire approval chain, not only the administrative action that occurs after final inspection.

Common issues that delay a clinic project

Most avoidable problems arise when the commercial, property and professional files are prepared independently instead of as one regulated project. The facility category should be settled before major contractual commitments are made.

• Signing a long-term lease before confirming that the premises can support the proposed healthcare activity.
• Using a commercial activity that does not match the health-establishment licence being requested.
• Assuming a doctor’s OMSB examination result is equivalent to a professional licence.
• Starting fit-out before the proposed layout has been reviewed where approval is required.
• Recruiting clinical staff without checking their individual licensing pathway.
• Budgeting only for the final clinic licence while ignoring initial approval and professional licence fees.

Does Oman allow foreign doctors and investors to open clinics?

Foreign participation cannot be answered with a blanket rule that applies to every structure and healthcare activity. The project must comply with the applicable commercial, investment and Ministry of Health requirements, while every practising clinician must separately qualify for professional licensing.

For a foreign doctor who intends to practise as well as invest in the facility, the establishment file and the doctor’s personal professional file should be planned in parallel. Approval of one does not automatically approve the other.

Tax planning for clinic owners and doctors

Tax treatment should be assessed separately from healthcare licensing. Oman has enacted a personal income tax law that is scheduled to take effect from the beginning of 2028.

The Oman Tax Authority states that the Personal Income Tax Law will apply from 2028, with a 5% rate for qualifying taxable income above OMR 42,000. Whether and how that affects an individual doctor or clinic owner depends on the person’s tax position and income classification when the law becomes effective.

Frequently asked questions

Next step before leasing or fitting out a clinic

Define the intended facility category, clinical services and professional staffing model first. These decisions determine the commercial activity, Ministry of Health application, premises requirements, professional licences and official fees that follow.

Before signing a long-term lease or purchasing medical equipment, verify that the location and proposed layout are suitable for the exact healthcare licence being pursued and that the intended doctors can satisfy their individual licensing requirements.