Exporting to Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain

Qatar

• Commercial agents must be Qatari nationals or companies wholly owned by Qatari nationals, and must be registered to benefit from the agency law. According to the US Commercial Service, any Qatari agency is considered exclusive.
• Law No. 1 of 2019 allows up to 100 percent foreign ownership in most commercial and service sectors; commercial agency activities are among the exclusions.

Oman

• Registered commercial agents must be Omani nationals or companies that are at least 51 percent Omani owned, and an unregistered agency is not recognised by the courts.
• The Foreign Capital Investment Law (Royal Decree 50/2019) allows up to 100 percent foreign ownership in most sectors.

Kuwait

• A foreign company without its own local entity may do business only through a Kuwaiti agent, a Kuwaiti national or a company at least 51 percent Kuwaiti owned (Law No. 13 of 2016). Exclusivity is no longer required, so several agents can be registered.
• Law No. 116 of 2013 allows up to 100 percent foreign ownership, subject to a licence from the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA).

Bahrain

• Foreign companies are generally not required to appoint a local agent to sell in Bahrain, according to the US Commercial Service.
• Most commercial activities allow up to 100 percent foreign ownership.

Product conformity across the four

The GCC Standardization Organization’s Gulf Conformity Mark (G-Mark) applies to regulated categories such as electrical appliances across GCC states, alongside national schemes. Check the scheme for your product in each country before quoting.

Serving them from Dubai

A Dubai-based distributor can be a good route, but only if they actually sell in these countries today. Ask for customers per country before giving them the territory, and check whether local agency rules require a registered local agent as well.