On 12 October 2026, through the Oman News Agency (ONA), the National Intellectual Property Office at Oman's Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP) set out the current rules for trademark registration and reminded businesses, entrepreneurs and designers to carry out a legal review before settling on a mark or a brand design. This is the authority clarifying existing rules in practice, not a change in the law.
On registrability and prohibited elements, official flags and emblems and the sovereign symbols of states or international organisations, and signs resembling them, are tightly restricted as cases the law bars from registration, to stop commercial use from falsely suggesting a government connection or official endorsement; a mark must also be distinctive and lawful, must not offend public order or morals, and must not conflict with government, national or international emblems.
Geographical and place names are likewise subject to controls, especially where they could mislead consumers about the origin of goods or services. Graphics of castles, forts and other historic buildings are not absolutely prohibited; whether such a mark is accepted depends on the elements used — whether they are free of official symbols or protected elements, or of anything that could suggest a government connection.
On procedure, filing an application does not mean automatic acceptance: applications are examined, and amendments or restrictions may be required to avoid confusion; once a mark is preliminarily accepted it is published, and any interested party may file a written opposition within 60 days of publication; the term of protection for a registered mark is 10 years from the filing date, renewable for like periods.
J&C recommends running prior searches and a legal review before filing a trademark in Oman, and steering clear of official flags, emblems, sovereign symbols and signs resembling them; where castle or historic-landmark graphics are used, removing any design that could suggest a government connection or that carries protected elements; and watching the 60-day opposition window and renewing on time, registering the mark in Arabic alongside its original language where useful to reduce the risk of confusion on a same-language comparison.
Source: www.omannews.gov.om
