When does this apply to my business?
It depends on your size. The Tax Authority began with a first group of large taxpayers, whom it notified directly, and is extending the requirement to all VAT-registered businesses in stages, most SMEs among them. The Authority confirms each group's date, so confirm your own position with them; we help you do that at no cost. Whatever your date turns out to be, the preparation behind it can run from weeks to months depending on the state of your books and your system, which is why we recommend starting now rather than waiting to be told.
Can I keep sending PDF invoices?
Not an ordinary PDF. The notified formats are PINT OM XML (UBL 2.1) and PDF/A-3, the latter being a PDF with the structured invoice data embedded inside it, so it's both machine-readable and human-readable. A flat PDF isn't compliant. You can still send one to your customer for convenience alongside the compliant file.
Do I have to change my accounting software?
Usually not. Most common systems can be connected. We'll tell you honestly if yours can't be.
How long does getting ready take?
For a business with clean books and a standard system, weeks. With a backlog, incomplete customer records or an unusual system, months. That range is why we recommend starting as soon as you can rather than waiting for your date. The work is the same, but done under pressure it costs more and goes wrong more often.
What does it cost?
It depends on your invoice volume and whether you take bookkeeping alongside the connection. We quote after the free assessment, not before. Quoting blind wouldn't be honest.
What is Fawtara?
Fawtara is Oman's national e-invoicing programme, run by the Oman Tax Authority. VAT-registered businesses issue, exchange and report their tax invoices as structured electronic data instead of on paper or as ordinary PDFs.
What is an e-invoice under Fawtara?
A tax invoice issued as structured data in the PINT OM format, or as a PDF/A-3 with that data embedded inside it, and exchanged through the e-invoicing network. A scanned invoice or an ordinary PDF is not an e-invoice.
Is e-invoicing mandatory in Oman?
Yes, for VAT-registered businesses, and it is being introduced in phases. Your obligation begins on the date for the phase your business falls in.
Who runs Fawtara?
The Oman Tax Authority. It sets the phases, publishes the invoice specification and decides the rules service providers work to. Where this page and the Authority differ, the Authority is what counts.
Is e-invoicing the same as emailing a PDF invoice?
No. Emailing a PDF sends a picture of an invoice. E-invoicing sends the invoice as data another system can read, through a network, with the tax data reported to the Authority on the way.
Is Fawtara the same as e-invoicing in Saudi Arabia or the UAE?
No. Fawtara is Oman's own programme, built on the Peppol network and the PINT OM specification. Rules, formats and dates from another country's mandate do not carry over.
What are the Fawtara phases?
There are three. Phase 1 began in August 2026 with a first group of large taxpayers the Tax Authority notified directly. Phase 2 follows in February 2027. Phase 3, from August 2027, brings in every remaining VAT-registered business.
When did Fawtara Phase 1 start?
In August 2026, with a first group of large taxpayers that the Oman Tax Authority notified directly. If you received that notification you are almost certainly in scope already.
When does Fawtara Phase 2 start?
In February 2027. The Tax Authority confirms which businesses are in each phase, so confirm your own position with it rather than assuming.
When does Fawtara Phase 3 start, and does it include small businesses?
In August 2027. Phase 3 covers every remaining VAT-registered business, which includes small and medium-sized ones.
How do I find out which Fawtara phase my business is in?
Answer the three questions in the readiness check on this page for a first answer, then confirm it with the Oman Tax Authority, which is the authority on it. We also confirm your phase for you, at no cost, in a consultation.
The Tax Authority has not contacted me. Does Fawtara still apply?
If you are VAT-registered, yes: by August 2027 at the latest, and possibly earlier. Not having been notified means you were not in the first group, not that you are outside the mandate.
Does Fawtara apply to businesses that are not registered for VAT?
Fawtara currently applies to VAT-registered businesses. Once your turnover crosses Oman's VAT registration threshold and you register, Fawtara follows.
What is Oman's VAT registration threshold?
OMR 38,500 in annual turnover. A business that crosses it and registers for VAT comes into the scope of Fawtara as well.
Is there a turnover threshold for Fawtara?
Not a separate one. The Tax Authority defines scope by taxpayer group and phase, not by a Fawtara turnover test, so what matters is whether you are VAT-registered and which phase you are in.
When should I start preparing for Fawtara?
Now. Preparation takes weeks for a business with clean books and a common system, and months for one with a backlog or incomplete customer records, and everyone in a phase is getting ready at the same time.
Which invoice formats does Fawtara accept?
Two: PINT OM XML, which is built on UBL 2.1, and PDF/A-3, which is a readable PDF with the same structured data embedded inside it. An ordinary PDF is neither.
What is PINT OM?
PINT OM is Oman's national version of the Peppol International invoice specification. It defines which fields an e-invoice must carry, how they are structured and the rules they are checked against.
What is PDF/A-3?
A PDF that carries another file inside it. Under Fawtara that file is the structured invoice data, so one document can be read by a person and by software.
What is UBL 2.1?
Universal Business Language, an open XML standard for business documents such as invoices. PINT OM invoices are written in it.
What is Peppol?
An international network, and the set of standards that goes with it, for exchanging business documents between companies' systems. Oman uses it for Fawtara, so invoices travel from one service provider to another rather than by email.
Why does Oman use the Peppol network?
Because it lets any two businesses exchange invoices whatever software each uses, as long as both connect through a service provider. Neither side has to match the other system.
What is a Peppol access point?
A service provider connected to the Peppol network that sends and receives documents on behalf of businesses. Under Fawtara, businesses reach the network through one.
What is the Five Corner Model?
The route an e-invoice takes: the seller, the seller service provider, the buyer service provider, the buyer, and the Oman Tax Authority platform as the fifth corner, which receives the invoice tax data. Our compliance guide draws it.
What is an accredited service provider?
A provider approved by the Oman Tax Authority to prepare, validate, send, receive and report e-invoices on behalf of businesses. In the Five Corner Model it is the second and third corners.
Can I connect my accounting system directly to the Tax Authority?
Businesses in scope exchange and report through a service provider, either directly or through accounting software that connects via one.
Does my customer need a service provider as well?
Yes. In the Five Corner Model the buyer has a service provider too, which receives the validated invoice and delivers it to the buyer's system.
How will I receive e-invoices from my suppliers?
Through your service provider, which receives them from the network and passes the invoice data into your system. Receiving is part of the mandate, not only sending.
What does the Tax Authority receive when I issue an invoice?
The invoice tax data, reported by the seller service provider. The buyer service provider reports the received invoice's tax data as well, which is how the two sides are matched.
What information must an e-invoice contain?
The fields the PINT OM specification makes mandatory: who the seller and buyer are, including their VAT details, the invoice number and date, each line, the VAT applied and the totals. Our compliance guide goes through them.
What is the difference between PINT OM XML and PDF/A-3?
The data is the same. PINT OM XML is the data on its own, for systems. PDF/A-3 wraps that data in a document a person can open and read.
Can I send e-invoices from Excel or Word?
Not as they are. A spreadsheet or a Word document is not structured e-invoice data. If that is how you invoice today, talk to us about the simplest route from it to a compliant invoice.
Why are e-invoices rejected?
Because the structure is wrong or a mandatory field is missing. Incomplete customer records are the usual cause, which is why they are the first thing to check.
What happens if a mandatory field is missing?
The invoice is not accepted onto the network. It has to be corrected and sent again.
What does validation before submission mean?
Each invoice is checked against the PINT OM rules before it is sent, so a problem is found and fixed by us and not returned to you as a rejection.
What should I check in my customer and supplier records?
That each one has its full legal name, its address and its VAT details. Records that were good enough for a paper invoice are often not complete enough for a structured one.
How do I prepare for Fawtara?
Confirm your phase, check your invoice data and your customer records, find out what your accounting system can produce, choose how you will connect, and test before your date. Our free guide sets it out month by month.
What happens if I am not ready by my date?
The consequences are set by the Oman Tax Authority, and you should take them from the Authority and not from a vendor. The practical risk is simpler: from your date, an invoice that is not a compliant e-invoice is not what the mandate requires.
Do I still file VAT returns once I am on Fawtara?
Yes. Fawtara reports invoice data as invoices are issued; it does not replace your VAT return. What changes is that the two now have to agree.
Do I need new hardware for e-invoicing?
No. Fawtara is a connection between systems. Nothing is installed at your premises beyond the software you already use.
Is my invoice data secure?
Invoices travel from service provider to service provider over the Peppol network, and are archived in their original structured format with a full audit trail. Our security page says how we handle your data.
What is a VATIN?
Your VAT identification number, issued by the Oman Tax Authority when you register for VAT. It identifies you on every e-invoice you issue or receive.
Which accounting systems does Dhara connect to Fawtara?
Xero, QuickBooks, Zoho Books, Odoo, Tally and Sage, and other systems through a custom API. The integrations page lists them.
Does Fawtara work with Xero?
Xero does not handle the full Fawtara process on its own. You keep invoicing in Xero; Dhara validates each invoice, maps it to PINT OM and sends it over Peppol. Fawtara for Xero.
Does Fawtara work with QuickBooks?
QuickBooks does not handle the full Fawtara process on its own. You keep invoicing in QuickBooks; Dhara validates each invoice, maps it to PINT OM and sends it over Peppol. Fawtara for QuickBooks.
Does Fawtara work with Zoho Books?
Zoho Books does not handle the full Fawtara process on its own. You keep invoicing in Zoho Books; Dhara validates each invoice, maps it to PINT OM and sends it over Peppol. Fawtara for Zoho Books.
Does Fawtara work with Odoo?
Odoo does not handle the full Fawtara process on its own. You keep invoicing in Odoo; Dhara validates each invoice, maps it to PINT OM and sends it over Peppol. Fawtara for Odoo.
Does Fawtara work with Tally?
Tally does not handle the full Fawtara process on its own. You keep invoicing in Tally; Dhara validates each invoice, maps it to PINT OM and sends it over Peppol. Fawtara for Tally.
Does Fawtara work with Sage?
Sage does not handle the full Fawtara process on its own. You keep invoicing in Sage; Dhara validates each invoice, maps it to PINT OM and sends it over Peppol. Fawtara for Sage.
My accounting system is not on your list. Can it still be connected?
Often, yes, through a custom API connection. We will tell you honestly if yours cannot be.
Will I have to change how I raise invoices?
In most cases, no. We connect the system you already use and leave your day-to-day workflow as it is.
What does Dhara do?
Dhara connects your accounting system to Oman's Fawtara e-invoicing network: issuing and receiving on Peppol, converting to PINT OM and PDF/A-3, validating before submission, reporting invoice tax data to the Authority, archiving with an audit trail and monitoring rejections.
What is Dhara Tax?
Dhara Tax is our Fawtara connection service, powered by Tax Star. It is the part of Dhara that links your system to the e-invoicing network and keeps each invoice compliant.
Is Dhara an Omani company?
Yes. Dhara is an Omani-owned company in Muscat with 100% Omani management.
Where is Dhara based?
In Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. We work in Arabic and English.
What is the free Fawtara assessment?
A short session with someone who knows the Oman rules. We confirm which phase applies to you and look at how you invoice today. There is no cost and no obligation, and you leave with a clear answer whether or not you work with us.
How do I get started with Dhara?
Book the free assessment. If you would rather read first, run the readiness check on this page or ask for the guide.
What is in the free Fawtara guide?
How Fawtara and Peppol actually work, how to find out whether you are already in scope, the invoice fields that most often cause rejections, a month-by-month readiness plan, and the questions to ask any provider before you sign.
Does Dhara monitor rejected invoices?
Yes. We watch for rejections and fix them, so you are not left to discover them yourself.
Does Dhara archive my e-invoices?
Yes. Invoices are archived securely in their original structured format, with a full audit trail.