Foreign companies bidding in Oman tenders can enter international tenders without being registered in Oman, provided they register under the rules in force within 30 working days of notification that their bid was accepted. Tender Law Articles 16 and 23 establish this route. Start by checking the tender type, registering on Esnad through the international company option where applicable, and reviewing the notice before preparing your bid.
Can foreign companies bid?
Article 16 distinguishes local and international public tenders. International tenders admit international companies and establishments not registered in Oman. Local tenders are limited to those entered in the commercial register, or a professional register specified by the Tender Board in certain cases.
The distinction affects eligibility. Under Article 41(c), the Tender Board must exclude, by a reasoned decision, a bid from a bidder not registered in Oman, except bids submitted by international companies and establishments in international tenders.
Before preparing a submission:
- Check whether the tender is international.
- Select the Esnad registration option that applies to your company.
- Read the notice and documents for the requirements of that tender.
How to register on Esnad as an international company
The Esnad company registration manual includes an international company option. It states that international company registration has no fee and does not need the Authority's approval.
The option is only for non-Omani companies. A company with a commercial registration number issued by Oman's Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion must choose the local company / sole proprietor option.
Follow the manual's international registration sequence:
- At etendering.tenderboard.gov.om, select "New registration", then "International company".
- Enter the international registration number, complete all required fields with a valid email address, and create a user code.
- Use the email containing your user code, challenge phrase and password to begin login.
- On first login, enter the emailed password and challenge phrase once. Set a new password when prompted, then log in again.
- Complete the work profile with operational experience and executed projects, and choose the activities and fields to register.
- Create a separate bid submission password and accept the terms and conditions.
The bid submission password differs from the account password. It is required when submitting a bid and must not be shared.
For related guidance, read how to register on Esnad and the Esnad portal guide. Confirm any registration detail not covered here on Esnad or with the Projects, Tenders and Local Content Authority.
How to find international tenders
Browse the international tender hub and all open Oman tenders, then check the official notice.
In the 1 November 2026 hub snapshot, 22 international tenders were open, 6 of them published in the previous 7 days and 11 still with documents on sale.
The Esnad public tender lists have a "Tender type [company type]" column. Use it to identify international tenders.
The registration manual says the system emails your company when an entity floats an international tender in its registered field. Log in to see the details if you want to participate. It also instructs users to log out and in again to see tenders floated for their registration.
Under Tender Law Article 18, notices are published in a widely circulated daily newspaper in Arabic and English and may also be published electronically. Tenders above OMR 500,000 are also published in the Official Gazette.
Preparing a bid from abroad
Executive Regulation Article 30 accepts bids from contractors, suppliers or consultants themselves, their approved agents in Oman, or from abroad. The bidder or its agent must have a valid contact address.
These tender texts do not establish a general agent, sponsor or partner requirement. Confirm any such requirement, and any foreign ownership, company formation or commercial registration rule, with the competent authorities and the tender notice.
The same regulation sets out pricing and supply requirements:
- Article 31(a): write prices in Omani rials in figures and words. A bid from outside Oman may use a foreign currency, stating its exchange rate to the Omani rial.
- Article 31(e): state in the price list whether each item is made in Oman or abroad. Incorrect data results in rejection of the item. The Tender Board may also bar the bidder from dealing with entities subject to the Tender Law for a period it sets.
- Article 35: for supplies, follow the documents' delivery basis, whether FOB, C&F, CIF, or delivery to the buyer's stores or work sites including customs duties and inland transport. Show the total cost split between foreign currency and Omani rials.
Under Article 38, a bidder may delegate one or more people to attend the envelope opening, one of them Omani. Read how to bid on government tenders and tender opening results explained for related guidance.
Costs and bonds
Circular 1/2023 retains the 1% bid bond in two cases. One is international companies with no base in Oman bidding in international tenders, except international companies in tenders to supply medicines and medical supplies. Check how the circular applies to your bid in the tender notice.
Under Decision 92/2019, international consultancy services tender documents cost OMR 300. Confirm the document price for your tender on Esnad. See the bid bond and tender fees guide.
The local content guide allows a price preference of up to 20% for local companies in internationally floated tenders. Review the relevant evaluation provisions in the documents alongside the In-Country Value and local content guide.
For contractor classification, the classification appendices state that a project carried out by a foreign partner outside Oman must have double the value in the table for its experience to count. Companies licensed under the Foreign Capital Investment Law can be classified in the Excellent and First grades only. Read the contractor classification grades guide and confirm the requirements applicable to your classification.
After award
Tender Law Article 23 requires international companies and establishments participating without registration in Oman to register under the rules in force within 30 working days of notification that their bid was accepted.
Plan for that deadline while preparing the bid. Confirm the registration requirements for your circumstances with the competent authorities and the tender notice.
Check your tender match
Start with the tender match check for your business, then confirm eligibility and requirements in the official notice.
For wider context, read the Oman tender market report.
Sources
The sources below were verified on 2 November 2026:
- Tender Law issued by Royal Decree 36/2008, consolidated edition published by the Authority in 2020.
- Executive Regulation of the Tender Law, Tender Board Decision 29/2010.
- Esnad company registration user guide.
- Tender Board public list of opened tenders and per-tender opening report.
- Tender Board Circular 1/2023 on bid bond exemption controls.
- Tender Board Decision 92/2019 on tender document prices and company registration and renewal fees.
- Guide to applying local content in government projects and contracts.
- Classification appendices for contracting, consultancy, services and supply.
OmanPro is independent of the official authorities; the official texts prevail.
