Domestic Workers in Oman: Hours, Leave, Pay and Employer Duties
What an employer in Oman must provide day to day under Ministerial Decision 574/2025: housing, health insurance, hours, leave, wages, documents and end-of-service pay.
If you employ a driver, nanny, cook, gardener or other household worker in Oman, Ministerial Decision 574/2025 sets the minimum standard for how you treat them. It was reported on 12 October 2025 and replaced the 2004 rules. We found no later change as of 6 November 2026. The full text is behind a subscription on decree.om, so the figures below come from several press reports, and we only list points that at least two of them agree on. Hiring and contract rules are in our hiring guide.
What you must provide
You must give the worker suitable accommodation, food, transport and health insurance. Reports describe the room as clean, safe and air-conditioned. Health insurance is new: the 2004 rules only required free local treatment. You may not assign work that endangers the worker's safety, health or dignity, and you must keep a file for each worker with wage and employment details. Gulf News and People Matters say that file must be kept for at least a year after the job ends.
Hours and leave
| Item | Rule | |---|---| | Working day | Up to 12 hours, with meal and rest breaks | | Overtime | Up to 2 extra hours, only with written consent, and paid | | Weekly rest | One paid day off. Working it earns double pay or a replacement day | | Annual leave | At least 21 paid days | | Sick leave | Up to 30 paid days a year with a medical certificate |
The 12-hour day is longer than the Labour Law's general limit. Press reports word the rest requirement differently, so treat the break arrangement as something to agree in the contract.
Pay
Wages are due within seven days of the due date, in riyals or another agreed legal currency, and you should keep a signed receipt or bank transfer record. Gulf News and the Oman Observer agree that deductions are limited to damages, court-ordered fines and loan repayment, and cannot exceed a quarter of the wage.
Passports and documents
The Oman Observer and Times of Oman say you may not hold the passport or papers without the worker's written consent. Gulf News and People Matters report an outright ban. Because the reports conflict, the safe course is to let the worker keep their own documents.
Ending the job
Workers with more than two years of service are due half a month's wage per year as end-of-service pay, according to the Oman Observer and Virgin Radio Oman. The Times of Oman says "at least two years", so the exact threshold is unclear. Dues should be settled within five days of the last working day (Oman Observer, Virgin Radio Oman). Workers are exempt from court fees in disputes.
Worker duties and penalties
Workers must respect Omani laws and customs, do the agreed work properly, keep household matters private and look after the employer's property. Three outlets report fines of OMR 50 to 500 per affected worker for breaches, but none says which breach carries which amount.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours can a domestic worker be made to work in Oman?
Up to 12 hours a day, including meal and rest breaks. Up to two extra hours of overtime are allowed only with the worker's written agreement and must be paid.
How much leave do domestic workers get?
One paid rest day a week, at least 21 days of paid annual leave, and up to 30 days of paid sick leave a year on a medical certificate.
Who pays for health insurance?
The employer. The decision requires health cover for the worker, replacing the older rule that only required free local treatment.
Can I keep my worker's passport?
Do not. The Oman Observer and Times of Oman say it is barred without the worker's written consent, and Gulf News and People Matters report a flat ban. Letting the worker keep it avoids any dispute.
Is end-of-service pay due?
Reports say a worker with more than two years of service gets half a month's wage for each year. Sources differ on whether exactly two years counts.