OPAZ Decision 81/2026: licensing records a company keeps

What was issued and when

OPAZ issued Decision No. 81/2026, the Executive Regulations of the Special Economic Zones and Free Zones Law promulgated by Royal Decree No. 38/2025. OPAZ announced the issue on 20 September 2026.

The decision is dated 16 September 2026 and was published in Official Gazette No. 1666 on 20 September 2026. It takes effect on the day after publication, which is 21 September 2026. The decision provides a six-month period from that date for existing positions to be brought into line with the regulations.

What it establishes

The regulations set a single channel for applications. Applications for land or property allocation, licences, approvals, permits and certificates are submitted through a single service window, which is linked electronically to the systems of the relevant entities. Fees are paid through e-payment channels. This note calls that window the single application channel.

Licences may be issued automatically through that channel after automated verification of the data, documents and requirements. They may be renewed automatically where the licensee's data is current and the prescribed conditions are met.

The regulations set timeframes for deciding a number of applications. They provide for reasons to accompany a rejection decision, and for a grievance in the cases stipulated. The durations are not reproduced here. This note refers only to the decision timeframes set in the regulations.

What a company now records

The regulations change where applications go and how licences are issued and renewed. Each item below is held with its source, its date and the person who confirmed it.

• The single application channel through which the company's applications are submitted, and who in the company holds access to it.
• For each application: the date submitted, the e-payment reference for the fee, and the decision timeframe that applies, so that the date on which a decision falls due can be noted.
• Each licence held and its expiry date.
• When the licensee's data on the channel was last confirmed and by whom, because automatic renewal depends on current data.
• Where an application is rejected: the reasons given and the date of notification. Whether to take the grievance route is a decision for the company with its licensed provider.

Dates to put in the calendar

• 21 September 2026: the date the regulations took effect.
• The end of the six-month period, counted from 21 September 2026 and falling in March 2027, as confirmed with the licensed provider.
• Each licence expiry date, and before it the date on which the licensee's data on the channel is next confirmed.
• For each application: the date a decision falls due under the applicable timeframe.

The March 2027 entry is arithmetic from the effective date. Whether and how the six-month period applies to a particular company is confirmed by its licensed provider.

What stays with the licensed provider

Whether a company is subject to the regulations, what the six-month period means for its existing licences, the content of any application, and whether a rejection is taken to the grievance route are matters for the licensed provider. Reserved company-formation procedures and other reserved professional work are carried out by an appropriately licensed provider under a lawful arrangement. Monjiz does not provide legal advice, legal-structure advice or legal drafting. Legal interpretation is not included by implication.

OPAZ decides applications submitted to it and sets its own requirements. Where a status update shows that an application decision, a renewal or a rejection needs the provider's input, the update names that need and the person responsible for the next action.

How Monjiz can help

Monjiz prepares client-approved administrative documents and coordinates agreed work. The application log, the licence expiry dates and the data-currency record above can be kept under Corporate Secretarial & Compliance Support, which maintains agreed administrative company records and coordinates filing calendars. The agreed schedule names the entities and licences covered. It sets how often the data on the single application channel is confirmed and who in the company confirms it. It reports completed work, exceptions and the next actions at the agreed review points.

For a company registered and still completing activation steps that depend on a zone licence, those steps can be carried on the agreed action list under Post-Registration & Operational Support. Monjiz coordinates the included steps and records the submission position at handover. Any authority-related task must be expressly included. Where an included task requires reserved work, the engagement identifies the licensed provider responsible for it.

Standalone recurring support is published from OMR 180 a month with a six-month minimum term. "From" prices apply to the qualifying scope described in your proposal. Fees are stated exclusive of VAT. Monjiz remains your normal contact for coordination and progress. See How Monjiz works.

Email Monjiz at hello@monjiz.com with your company's stage, the work required and any deadline.

Reference: INS-0002

Sources

Official Gazette No. 1666, 20 September 2026: Decision No. 81/2026 of the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones issuing the Executive Regulations of the Special Economic Zones and Free Zones Law. OPAZ news release of 20 September 2026 announcing the issue of the Executive Regulations.