To accept card payments, an online store in Oman must connect to a bank or a payment service provider licensed in Oman. That is a legal requirement under Article 10 of Oman's E-Commerce Regulation. In practice you have three routes: your local bank's gateway, a Central Bank of Oman licensed provider such as Thawani Pay, or a direct OmanNet gateway link through the Central Bank. The published official fee for OmanNet for private-sector merchants is 1.5% per transaction, capped at OMR 10. Other providers quote their fees on request.
Last updated: October 2026
Why "any payment account" won't do for an Omani store
Most store owners start with the wrong question: which payment gateway in Oman is cheapest? The first question is whether the gateway is acceptable for your store at all.
Oman's E-Commerce Regulation (Ministerial Decision 499/2023) requires every licensed online seller, in Article 10, to link its payment tools to "a bank or a payment service provider licensed in the Sultanate of Oman". A popular foreign payment account that is not licensed in Oman does not meet that requirement.
There is also a practical limit. Stripe's list of supported countries does not include Oman; the only GCC country listed is the UAE.
And there is the customer side. According to Checkout.com, all debit cards issued in Oman carry the OmanNet scheme, and the company puts their share at 95% of cards in the country. A gateway that cannot take OmanNet loses most local shoppers at checkout.
The market is big enough to get this right. Ministry figures reported by Oman Observer in August 2026 show local e-payment gateways processed about OMR 3.2 billion in 2025, up 76.3% on 2024.
Payment gateway providers in Oman: your main options
Licensing below is what we could confirm from a published source. The list is not exhaustive.
| Option | Provided by | Check before you sign |
|---|---|---|
| Linking a gateway to OmanNet (OmanNet PG) | Central Bank of Oman, via gov.om | An account with a licensed local bank; official published fees |
| Your bank's merchant gateway | Local banks that offer gateways to business clients | Bank fees and terms; OmanNet plus Visa/Mastercard acceptance |
| Thawani Pay | Omani fintech, licensed by the CBO, first non-bank licence reported in 2020 by Times of Oman | Merchant fees are not published online; ask for a written quote |
| Paymob | Received a CBO payment service provider licence, per FinTech Futures (January 2024) | Fees, contract and platform support |
| OM Pay (Omantel) | CBO approval for e-payment services, per IBS Intelligence (2022) | Whether it supports the online-store integration you need |
| Regional providers (e.g. Tap) | Say they operate in Oman; Tap's docs describe OmanNet support | Ask for proof of their Omani licence or the licensed local bank they work through |
What is OmanNet PG?
OmanNet is the national debit card network run by the Central Bank of Oman. When a customer pays with a card from their Omani bank, the payment most likely runs over OmanNet. So the first question for any provider: do you accept OmanNet cards? The second: do you also accept Visa and Mastercard for credit cards and visitors' cards?
The national "Maal" card
The CBO announced the fee structure for the national payment card "Maal" in November 2025, with a soft launch on 20 November 2025, according to Times of Oman. For merchants: Maal runs on OmanNet, carries lower capped merchant service fees, offers preferential rates for SMEs holding the "Riyada" card, and the CBO says it cuts acceptance costs by "up to 50%" versus other cards. Exact e-commerce percentages were not published, so ask your bank for the Maal rate in your contract.
Fees: what is published and what you must request
Last checked: October 2026. Source: gov.om, OmanNet gateway linking service (page updated 28 March 2025).
| Item | Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|
| OmanNet gateway link, private sector | 1.5% of transaction value, max OMR 10 | Officially published |
| OmanNet gateway link, government | 1% of transaction value, max OMR 5.320 | Officially published |
| Maal card merchant fees | Lower caps, "up to 50%" cheaper | Exact rate not published |
| Thawani, bank gateways, other PSPs | Per contract | Request a written quote |
A quick worked example at 1.5% capped at OMR 10:
| Order value | 1.5% | You pay |
|---|---|---|
| OMR 12 | OMR 0.180 | OMR 0.180 |
| OMR 45 | OMR 0.675 | OMR 0.675 |
| OMR 400 | OMR 6 | OMR 6 |
| OMR 1,000 | OMR 15 | OMR 10 (cap) |
The cap matters for high-ticket sellers: furniture, gold, electronics, travel packages.
The questions to send every provider
- Rate for OmanNet cards, for local Visa/Mastercard, and for foreign cards?
- Any setup fee, monthly fee or monthly minimum?
- How many days until settlement reaches my bank account?
- Refund fee, and is the original transaction fee returned?
- Chargeback fee?
- Payment links for WhatsApp orders?
- A ready plugin for my platform (WooCommerce, Salla, or other)?
- Your Central Bank of Oman licence number?
Requirements to open a payment gateway
The official requirements for an OmanNet link are a linking document and a bank account with a licensed local bank (gov.om). Banks and PSPs each have their own list. Prepare:
- A commercial registration or licence that allows you to sell online.
- A business bank account in the establishment's name.
- A live store on your own domain, not a temporary link.
- The pages Article 9 of the regulation requires anyway: terms, returns and exchange policy, data protection, complaints procedure, licence number, contact channels, and tax number if you have one.
- Accurate product descriptions with prices.
How to integrate, step by step
- Shortlist providers and send the fee questions above. Get quotes in writing.
- Apply with your documents. The CBO service lists four stages: application, compatibility, processing, approval.
- Receive sandbox credentials (merchant ID and keys).
- Connect your store: a provider plugin on WooCommerce (Thawani, for example, has a third-party plugin on WordPress.org; check its last update), the payments settings on a hosted platform, or the provider's API with a hosted payment page on a custom build.
- Test success, decline, mid-payment cancellation, full and partial refunds.
- Mark orders as paid only on the gateway's server-side confirmation (webhook), never on the "thank you" redirect alone.
- Switch to live keys, run a small real payment, refund it.
- Reconcile the first settlement against the gateway report.
Not sure your current store is ready for a gateway? Ask for our free digital presence check; the team reviews it by hand and tells you what is missing.
Which option fits your store? Three scenarios
An abaya seller on Instagram in Muscat. Orders come through DMs at OMR 30–40 each. Start with payment links from a licensed provider, then move to a simple store on an OmanNet-enabled gateway as volume grows. At 1.5%, a OMR 35 order costs about half a rial in fees, less than one order lost to a fake transfer receipt.
A small WooCommerce store for homeware. What matters is a maintained WooCommerce plugin, fast settlement and refunds from the store dashboard. Compare at least two providers on those three points before the rate.
A furniture or electronics store with OMR 600+ orders. The cap is the difference: at the official OmanNet fee, a single transaction never exceeds OMR 10. Ask every provider whether they cap fees, and what they charge on credit cards. Consider a deposit plus balance on delivery.
Security: your share of the responsibility
- Use the provider's hosted payment page where you can, so card data never touches or sits on your server.
- HTTPS across the whole store, not just checkout.
- Never share API keys over WhatsApp or email; enter them once in the dashboard.
- Rotate gateway and store passwords when staff leave or a developer relationship ends.
- Article 13 of the regulation requires you, as soon as you learn of a breach, to notify the competent authority and inform the Ministry.
Common mistakes
- Choosing on headline rate alone. A cheaper gateway that skips OmanNet costs you more in lost orders.
- Using a personal account for a business store.
- Letting the developer open the gateway in their own name. The merchant account should be yours.
- Going live before your returns policy is written.
- Never testing declines and cancellations.
How Naqla handles payments
Naqla is a licensed Omani establishment. We don't resell gateways or take commission. We connect the provider you choose, build the pages the regulation requires, and test before launch. Our Online Store package is OMR 89, paid once, and includes connecting online payment and cash on delivery, plus domain and hosting for a year in your name. The gateway itself is activated once you open your merchant account, and we guide you through it. See our online store service or contact us.
FAQ
What is the best payment gateway in Oman?
The best one for your store is licensed in Oman (or works through a licensed local bank), accepts OmanNet, and supports your platform reliably. Then compare written quotes on fees and settlement time.
How much does OmanNet charge merchants?
The published official fee for linking a gateway to OmanNet is 1.5% per transaction for the private sector, capped at OMR 10, and 1% capped at OMR 5.320 for government. Last checked October 2026.
Can I use Stripe or PayPal for an Omani store?
Stripe does not list Oman as a supported country. More importantly, Article 10 requires licensed online sellers to use a bank or PSP licensed in Oman.
Do I need a commercial registration?
An OmanNet link requires an account with a licensed local bank, and selling online requires a licence under Decision 499/2023. Ask each provider for its document list.
What is the Maal card?
Oman's national payment card from the Central Bank, running on OmanNet, soft-launched on 20 November 2025 with lower merchant fee caps. Exact e-commerce rates have not been published.
By Naqla Digital SolutionsPublished All articles
