Overview

• India and Oman are in the final stages of negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that will liberalize trade in goods and services.
• Key unresolved issues include India's demand to freeze Oman’s labour-localization quotas, known as Omanisation, at current levels to safeguard its workforce from future tightening.
• Discussions also focus on securing specific market access conditions for petrochemical products, a significant export category for India.
• The CEPA will grant India tariff-free access to 98% of its products in Oman and improved mobility for Indian professionals in the services sector.
• Bilateral trade between India and Oman reached USD 9 billion in 2023–24, making Oman India’s third-largest export destination among GCC countries.