Administrative Decision No. 88/2026 on Regulatory procedures to implement the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora.

These Regulatory Procedures establish the legal and administrative framework for implementing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) within the Sultanate of Oman, setting out the institutions responsible for enforcement, the rules governing international wildlife trade, and the obligations and penalties applicable to compliance.
They (1) establish the institutional framework, consisting of: (i) the Environment Authority, designated as the Management Authority responsible for implementing CITES at the national level and tasked with issuing, suspending, or revoking permits and licenses, as well as serving as the main communication channel with the CITES Secretariat; and (ii) a Scientific Authority, established as a specialized advisory body that evaluates the biological impact of trade, conducts Non-Detriment Findings (NDFs), and monitors trade levels to ensure that commercial activity does not threaten the survival of listed species; (2) regulate trade according to CITES Appendices; (3) set strict procedural rules for the issuance and use of trade licenses, as follows: (i) export and re-export permits are valid for six months, while import and introduction-from-the-sea permits are valid for twelve months; (ii) trade is limited to designated points of entry, including specified land, sea, and air ports; (iii) all shipments require a Legal Acquisition Finding (LAF) confirming that specimens were obtained in compliance with national and international law; and (iv) all transport of live specimens must comply with welfare standards designed to minimize injury, suffering, or poor handling during shipment; (4) define exemptions and special cases, including personal and household effects that are non-living, specimens acquired before the species was listed under CITES (pre-Convention specimens), and transfers involving scientific institutions for non-commercial research, exchange, or donation. Additional exemptions apply to captive-bred animals and artificially propagated plants, as well as specimens used in traveling exhibitions such as zoos or circuses, subject to regulatory approval; (5) impose clear compliance obligations on importers and license holders, requiring importers of endangered species to register them with the Management Authority within seven days of entry into Oman, and prohibiting license holders from releasing wildlife into unauthorized environments, conducting hybridization without approval, or engaging in unauthorized genetic modification; and (6) provide for enforcement under the Law on the Regulation of Trade in Wildlife, which mandates administrative and criminal penalties depending on the severity of the infringement.
The trade in specimens of species included in Appendix III is regulated through specific requirements for export, import, and re-export. Export from a State other than the one that listed the species requires a Certificate of Origin, while exports from the State that included the species in Appendix III require an export license issued only if the specimen was legally obtained and, in the case of live specimens, prepared and transported to minimize harm or cruel treatment. Import requires the prior presentation of a Certificate of Origin, or an export license when the import originates from the listing State. Re-export requires a re-export license, which may only be granted if the Management Authority is satisfied that the specimen was originally imported in accordance with the Law and the Convention.