Muscat Municipality strengthens digital transformation through soil transfer permit service in land space

Oman Saturday 16/August/2025 14:31 PM
By: Times News Service
Muscat Municipality strengthens digital transformation through soil transfer permit service in land space

Muscat Governorate has conducted a public opinion survey on the service of obtaining permits for transferring soil in open land, as part of its efforts to digitise municipal services and enhance community engagement to improve service quality.

The initiative aims to gauge community awareness of the soil transfer permit service while also raising awareness about Muscat Municipality’s E-services, which are part of the broader digital transformation system being implemented to accelerate transactions.

Organising Soil and Construction Activities

The soil transfer permit plays a vital role in regulating activities related to soil, the environment, and construction. It allows Muscat Municipality to exercise administrative and technical oversight, ensuring compliance with environmental and urban regulations. The system is designed to safeguard infrastructure safety while streamlining procedures.

Digital Service and Procedures

Through the E-services Portal, citizens and companies can apply for soil transfer permits. Applications are reviewed by the Technical Licensing Department and, if needed, passed to the Technical Inspection Department for a field visit. A report is then issued specifying the number of trucks and work duration. The process concludes with invoice generation and licence issuance, within a maximum of five working days.

Regulatory Requirements

Applicants must submit a letter detailing the number of trucks and workdays, along with the landowner’s consent if a third-party company is assigned. Supporting documents, such as ID cards, company records, or representative authorisations, must also be included.

In cases where soil is removed from roads leading to plots, approval from the Roads Department is mandatory, with the condition that sites must be levelled post-work. For major government projects, approvals are also required from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, and the Environment Authority. Licences for individuals seeking fill materials are issued based on pre-approved sites.

Fees and Payment

Permit fees are set at 10 OMR per truck for companies and 1 OMR per truck for individuals, payable online via ATM cards.

Submission Channels

The service is supervised by Muscat Municipality’s Technical Licensing Department – Technical Inspection Section. Beneficiaries can submit applications through the E-services Portal, Sanad offices, or the Muscat Municipality website: www.mm.gov.om.

Muscat Municipality continues to expand its E-services portfolio, seeking to strengthen public confidence in municipal operations and improve user satisfaction in line with Oman’s national strategy for comprehensive digital transformation.