Oman Work Permit Fees and Labour Law for Hiring a Chef

Oman's Ministry of Labour classifies Head Chef and Cook Supervisor as First Class occupations, its highest work permit fee tier: RO 301 base under Decision 602/2025, about RO 211 if your restaurant meets its Omanisation target, RO 602 if it does not. Junior cook roles may sit in a lower class; confirm with the Ministry's lookup tool. The Labour Law caps the working week at 40 hours with two consecutive rest days, well below what most Japanese kitchens run, so budget the overtime or add a second cook.

1. A market too small for a dedicated hire from Japan

MOFA counted 97 Japanese nationals in Oman on 1 October 2025, down 10.2% on the year, all long-term residents, none permanent. Oman does not appear as a separate country in MAFF's 2025 table of Japanese restaurants overseas. There is no local pool of Japanese cooks and not enough of a Japanese resident community to recruit from either.

Be honest about the realistic options before you plan the kitchen around a chef flown in from Japan:

• A chef relocating from Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha, already used to Gulf life and often cheaper to move than someone leaving Japan directly.
• A transfer inside a hotel group that already operates a Japanese outlet elsewhere in the region.
• A consulting arrangement: a chef who trains an Omani or expatriate kitchen team on a short visit or remotely, rather than relocating permanently. See training local staff in Japanese cuisine.

A direct hire from Japan is possible and this page covers it, but weigh it against these before you commit to a start date.

2. The permit fee, now that the class is known

Decision No. 602/2025 (26 October 2025) sets work permit fees by profession class, with a 30% discount for employers meeting their Omanisation target and a doubled fee for those who do not:

An official Ministry of Labour occupation classification table (dated 16 March 2026) resolves what the previous version of this page could not: it lists Head Chef (رئيس الطهاة) and Cook Supervisor (مشرف طهاة) under First Class, the top fee tier. That puts the confirmed range for those two titles at RO 211 to RO 602, not the wider spread we could not narrow before. The same table's entries for junior roles (assistant cook, cold and hot appetizer cook) were inconsistent between our checks, so confirm a junior hire's class on the Ministry's own activity-and-profession lookup tool before you budget, since the tool also varies the answer by establishment size and activity.

A permit runs 24 months and is not renewable; a separate work practice permit runs up to 24 months and is renewable. Late payment costs RO 10 a month, up to RO 500. Fees can be recovered in set cases: a failed medical, a refused visa, or the worker leaving within 90 days.

3. Omanisation: the discount, the doubled fee, restricted jobs

Know your restaurant's Omanisation rate before you plan the kitchen; it decides whether you pay RO 211 or RO 602 for a Head Chef. The Ministry's occupation table pairs each job class with an Omanisation figure used in that calculation, which can differ by establishment size and activity, so check your own number rather than assume it.

Separately, Decision No. 501/2024 (1 September 2024) added 32 professions reserved for Omanis, including hotel reception manager and several tourism roles, phased in to 2027. Chef and cook were not reported among the additions, but we could not obtain the complete current restricted list from an official source, so confirm that any management title you use, especially restaurant manager, is not on it. The Labour Law also requires proof that no qualified Omani was available before a licence to recruit is granted; keep a record of your local recruitment effort.

4. Staffing a 40 hour week with two rest days

The Labour Law (Royal Decree No. 53/2023) sets 8 hours a day up to 40 a week, continuous work capped at 6 hours, and two consecutive rest days weekly. Overtime pays basic salary plus 25% by day, 50% at night, or time off in lieu; total daily hours may not exceed 12.

Either staff to the second model or budget the first one honestly, with the 25% to 50% premium priced in from year one. Our overtime rules by country guide compares this with other Gulf markets.

5. Other contract terms

From the same ILO factsheet (updated December 2023): the contract is in Arabic in two originals, fixed term up to 5 years or indefinite. No minimum wage applies to migrant workers (Omanis have RO 325). Wages run through the Wage Protection System, paid at least monthly within 7 days of falling due. Annual leave is 30 days after six months, with an employer-paid return air ticket home, a real cost for a chef from Japan and one to put in the offer explicitly. Sick leave runs up to 182 days a year on a sliding pay scale. Employers may not hold passports without written consent, and recruitment agencies may not charge workers.

Put the flight, the roster and the permit class in writing before the chef accepts. Our contract checklist and relocation package guide cover how to present them, and sushi chef salary by country has the official pay figures that exist for nearby markets, since Oman itself publishes none for chefs.

General information checked against the Oman News Agency, the Oman Observer, an official Ministry of Labour occupation classification document, the ILO and Japanese government sources in September 2026, not legal or immigration advice. The full restricted-professions list and the exact class of every junior cook title were not available from an official source. Confirm with Oman's Ministry of Labour before acting.