Importing From India to Oman

On 1 June 2026, the day the India-Oman CEPA came into force, Oman's 5% duty on all 945 textile and apparel tariff lines went to zero, along with its duty on handicrafts (PIB, Ministry of Textiles, 3 June 2026 (opens in a new tab)). India already sold Oman US$95.1 million of those goods the year before, and it's Oman's third-largest supplier (same release). Five points isn't a fortune. On garments that compete on cents, it's the difference between winning a tender and not.

This page covers what an Omani buyer needs to get that zero - the origin rule as India has now notified it, the certificate, a refund window if you paid full duty by mistake, and the lane your boxes will actually take. The caveat - Oman's own customs guidance for CEPA claims is something we haven't read, so we describe the rules from the agreement's side.

Last researched 28 September 2026 · Next review 1 November 2026 · Written by SourcingFrom

The decision in brief is in the playbook: Exporting and trade → /india/#trade.

1. What the Schedule Gives You

The agreement was signed on 18 December 2025 (same PIB release). Oman's goods schedule, Annex 2B, puts every line into category A (duty gone at once), B (over five years) or C (over ten), against MFN rates as at 1 April 2022 (Annex 2B, Oman goods schedule (opens in a new tab)). Our rough parse of the schedule found the overwhelming majority of its roughly 7,872 lines in A, a few dozen prohibited, and only a handful in B or C. Page headers inflate the count, so take that as an impression, not a percentage. Find your own line - it's an 8-digit HS 2022 schedule.

For textiles, apparel and handicrafts there's nothing to look up. They're in A, at 0% since 1 June 2026.

2. The Origin Rule, Now Readable

The agreement's own rules chapter is a scanned image we couldn't read, but India has since notified the rules as Customs Notification No. 48/2026-Customs (N.T.) of 29 May 2026, effective 1 June 2026. We read it through a reproduction of the notification (Taxguru (opens in a new tab)). Here's what matters to you.

There's no single percentage for everything. A good originates if it's wholly obtained in India, or if it meets the product-specific rule for its line. Where a rule asks for value addition, the supplier can work it out top-down (price minus non-originating materials) or bottom-up (Indian materials, labour and overheads), on the FOB or ex-works price. Non-originating materials that fail a tariff-shift rule are tolerated up to 10% of the FOB or ex-works price. The product-specific rules and their thresholds sit in an annexure we haven't read line by line, so ask the supplier which rule the goods meet and to show you where the certificate records it.

3. The Certificate, and a Year to Fix a Mistake

The certificate is issued by an issuing authority of the exporting country and is valid for twelve months from issue, according to the notified rules. PIB describes it as fully digital, exchanged electronically between the two governments (same release), so your broker should be able to match it by its number rather than wait for a paper original.

The most useful line in the rules for a buyer is this one. An importer who paid more than the CEPA rate may, within one year of importation, apply for a refund of the excess (same notification, as reproduced). That's India's text of a shared chapter, so confirm with your Omani broker that Oman Customs applies the same window, but it means a late certificate isn't necessarily a lost preference. The April 2026 invoice-matching rule and the Indian agency list are on India's trade agreements.

For food and cosmetics buyers, the agreement also carries annexes on Export Inspection Council certification, mutual recognition of halal certification and organic products (Oman CEPA page, commerce.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). If you import food, ask whether the EIC certificate is the one your Omani authority will accept. That's what the annex is for.

4. Sohar Is the Lane, and It's Crowded

On the carrier schedule we read, Nhava Sheva to Sohar is a direct call of 7 to 10 days, median 8. From Pipavav the same carrier relays and takes 25 to 41 days, and from Mundra it listed no Sohar sailing in six weeks. So the Indian port your supplier ships from decides your transit more than anything else. Ask which one before you agree the Incoterm.

Sohar is also handling cargo that isn't Oman's. Since the Strait of Hormuz closed to routine traffic on 28 February 2026, boxes booked to Dubai have been discharged at Sohar, Khor Fakkan or Fujairah and trucked in. Expect yard congestion, and ask your forwarder about dwell time. The wider Gulf routing picture is on the UAE page. VAT is 5% on most goods, including imports (Oman Tax Authority, VAT FAQs (opens in a new tab)), and customs is the Directorate General of Customs (opens in a new tab).

Next Step

Find your line in Annex 2B (opens in a new tab), then run the landed cost calculator with the Sohar lane. Every agreement's status is on India's trade agreements. Booking from the right Indian port and getting the certificate issued against the right invoice is where SourcingSync (opens in a new tab) takes the work off you.