Introduction of the Unified Driving Licence
The unified driving licence was recently introduced across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The Royal Oman Police confirmed Oman will implement the unified driving licence in the Sultanate of Oman from 1 January 2015.
There has been no change to the process and procedures of obtaining a driving licence in Oman. The only change has been to the actual licence itself which now includes the GCC logo.
In this penultimate installment of our managing contract risk series we explore how best to develop and implement risk mitigation strategies when entering into and performing procurement contracts.
Companies contemplating Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) understand the need to avoid acquiring potential legal and financial liabilities. While there may be significant financial and strategic benefits in an acquisition it also brings risks that need to be identified and analysed. Due diligence is used to identify deal breakers, set negotiation parameters and assess risks. Undisclosed risks and hidden liabilities are buried in most acquisitions and may be difficult to detect if a comprehensive due diligence has not been carried out.
Duqm is currently subject to one of the most ambitious infrastructure developments to have taken place in the Sultanate of Oman. The focus on this article is to provide an overview of the investment opportunities and incentives to investing in the Duqm Free Zone.
Lawyers are often asked to advise client entities about their registered capital requirements. In Oman, most companies without foreign shareholding can be established with a registered capital of just RO 20,000. The minimum capital requirement varies depending on the type of the company, the shareholding pattern, name and activities. For example, Omani companies, regardless of whether these are limited liability or joint stock companies, require a minimum capital of RO 500,000 if they have ‘Oman’ in their name and RO 2 Million if they are established as a ‘holding’ company. Similarly, limited liability companies with up to 70% foreign shareholding generally need a minimum capital of RO 150,000.
Raya Al Harthy
Curtis is pleased to announce that Raya Al Harthy has been promoted to an associate in the Litigation Department after completing two years of training with the firm’s Oman office. Raya is a qualified lawyer in the Sultanate of Oman, and obtained her LLB at the American University of Cyprus, before earning her LLM at the University of Leeds.
Zuhaira Al Sulaimani
Curtis is pleased to announce that Zuhaira Al Sulaimani has joined the Corporate Department of the firm’s Oman office as an associate, having completed two years of training. A qualified lawyer in the Sultanate of Oman, Zuhaira obtained her LLB at the La Trobe University and earned both her MA and BA Business Law degrees at Monash University, Australia.
Curtis is pleased to announce that Malcolm Abaza has joined the International Corporate Department in the firm’s Oman office as a Senior Associate. Malcolm’s practice area extends to advising clients on a range of corporate, banking and Islamic finance matters.
Simon Ward, Managing Partner
Dominic Pilkington, Partner
Bruce Palmer, Counsel
Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP
Qurum Plaza
108 Al Wallaj Street
P.O. Box 1803; PC 114
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
Tel: +968 2465 2600 or +968 2456 4495
