Mobile Number Portability in Oman: TRA Rules and Steps

Regulatory notice: This guide provides general information, not legal advice. Follow the current Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) regulation, the TRA numbering page and the receiving provider’s official instructions. Operator forms and the technical operating guide may change.

Quick answer

Oman’s number-portability service allows fixed and mobile subscribers to move a telephone number from one licensed provider to another. The request is made to the new provider. For the mobile process published by TRA, a postpaid customer first settles dues with the current provider, applies to the new provider and receives its SIM, confirms the request by replying to the SMS with the Arabic word نقل, and keeps using the old SIM until service stops before installing the new SIM.

The active 2026 Number Portability Regulation requires the receiving provider to verify the customer’s identity and obtain explicit consent. It also requires completion within the periods stated in TRA’s approved technical and operational guide, but the public regulation page reviewed on 24 September 2026 does not publish the number of hours or days.

Who can port a number?

The regulation applies to licensed public telecommunications services using both fixed and mobile numbers. A customer may ask for a number to move from one licensed provider to another by submitting the request to the provider receiving the number.

TRA’s consumer procedure specifically describes the mobile SIM changeover. Fixed-number customers should ask the new provider how the approved operating process applies to their service because the public four-step page does not describe a SIM step for fixed lines.

Official mobile number-porting procedure

TRA publishes these four consumer steps:

Settle dues with the current provider if the number is postpaid. This first step is expressly limited to postpaid numbers on the TRA numbering page.
Apply to the new provider. Choose the appropriate plan and receive the new provider’s SIM.
Confirm the request by SMS. Reply to the confirmation message with the Arabic word نقل.
Keep the old SIM active until service stops. When service from the previous provider disconnects, install the new SIM.

Use the provider’s verified branch, app, website or customer-service channel. Operator-specific forms may ask for contact details or additional information, but the nationwide regulatory process comes from TRA.

Identity, consent and documents

Article 9 of the regulation requires the receiving provider to verify the applicant’s identity and obtain explicit consent. The public regulation text does not prescribe a single consumer document checklist for every provider, line type or customer category. Follow the exact identity request shown by the new provider and do not send a Civil ID image, OTP or SIM-security information through an unverified link.

Outstanding bills and financial obligations

The rules distinguish the transfer from the customer’s financial obligations:

TRA’s published procedure tells postpaid customers to settle dues with the current provider before applying.
Article 7 requires the old provider to offer a secure TRA-approved electronic method for immediate settlement of dues and obligations.
Article 13 allows the old provider to claim amounts still due after the transfer. The customer remains responsible for settling them.
Under the procedure referenced by the regulation, the new provider must stop the number if later amounts owed to the old provider are not paid.

Porting a number therefore does not erase bills, instalments or contractual obligations. The public regulation does not explain the treatment of unused prepaid credit, deposits, bundles or device instalments; confirm those items in the current provider terms before applying.

How long does porting take?

The regulation does not give a numeric consumer deadline in its public text. Article 8 says the receiving provider must complete the service within the periods in TRA’s approved technical and operational guide. The TRA news release also describes a clear timeframe, but neither public page reviewed here states the number of hours or days.

Ask the new provider for the current completion estimate and keep the request reference. Do not treat an operator’s promise to contact you within a stated period as a guarantee that the transfer itself will finish in that period.

Does the customer pay a porting fee?

Article 16 lists two costs paid by the receiving licensed provider for each completed number transfer: OMR 1.5 to TRA and OMR 1.5 to the provider losing the number. These are provider obligations in the regulation, not a published consumer charge.

The public regulation and TRA procedure reviewed for this article do not state whether a provider may charge the customer under its retail terms. Check the receiving provider’s current offer before confirming the request.

Can you transfer the same number again?

Yes. Article 15 says a customer whose number has already been transferred may request another transfer of the same number, subject to the approved technical and operational guide. The public regulation does not publish a minimum waiting period or frequency limit.

What can delay, stop or reverse a transfer?

The public regulation does not provide a complete consumer-facing list of rejection reasons. It does establish several relevant controls:

the receiving provider must verify identity and explicit consent;
providers may not obstruct the transfer;
the old provider may not contact the customer to discover the chosen provider or make retention offers during the process;
if a transfer was completed contrary to the regulation, the receiving provider must cancel it, immediately return the number to the old provider and notify the customer; and
both providers must document the request and the decision or cancellation process and are responsible for errors.

If a request is delayed, rejected or reversed, ask the new provider for the status, submission date, reference number, specific reason and correction required. Keep non-sensitive messages and complaint references. The regulation page reviewed here does not set out a complete customer complaint or TRA escalation procedure, so use the current official complaints channel shown by TRA if the provider does not resolve the matter.

Privacy protections in the regulation

The rules prohibit a provider from sharing data obtained from the central portability system without TRA approval. They also prohibit using customer information from that system for purposes other than providing the portability service.

Frequently asked questions

Do I apply through my old or new provider?

Apply through the new provider—the provider receiving the number.

What word do I send to confirm the request?

TRA’s current mobile procedure says to reply to the confirmation SMS with نقل.

Must postpaid bills be settled first?

Yes. TRA’s public procedure tells postpaid customers to settle dues with the current provider before applying. The regulation also preserves the old provider’s right to collect outstanding amounts after transfer.

Is there an official transfer deadline?

The receiving provider must meet the periods in TRA’s approved technical and operational guide, but the public regulation and numbering pages reviewed here do not publish a numeric period.

Is number porting free for customers?

The regulation lists costs paid by the receiving provider, not a consumer fee. The reviewed public TRA sources do not state a universal retail charge or no-charge rule, so check the new provider’s current terms.

Can I port the number again later?

Yes. The regulation permits another transfer of the same number subject to the approved operating guide; it does not state a public waiting period.

Related OmanHub guide

Mobile PKI and SIM activation in Oman — a separate guide for SIM-based PKI, not number portability.

Sources

TRA — Numbering and number-porting procedure
TRA — Number Portability Regulation, active legal-framework entry and full text, published 30 August 2026
TRA — announcement of the Number Portability Regulation, published 30 August 2026
Omantel — Port your Mobile Number NOW, used only as an example of an official operator channel

Mobile Number Portability in Oman: TRA Rules, Requirements and Steps