India–Oman CEPA to provide predictable visa regime for Indian skilled professionals: Piyush Goyal

India–Oman CEPA to provide predictable visa regime for Indian skilled professionals: Piyush Goyal

The India–Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will provide a fair and predictable visa regime and enable labour mobility for Indian skilled professionals, while fully respecting Oman’s sovereign employment policies, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the India–Oman Business Forum in Muscat ahead of the signing of the CEPA, Goyal said the agreement would facilitate greater market access for professionals and firms from both countries, while supporting Oman’s Vision 2040. He added that the pact reflects a shared vision to build a diversified and resilient economic partnership covering trade, investment, tourism, innovation and technology.

Goyal noted that bilateral trade between India and Oman has crossed $10 billion, but stressed that this milestone was “just the beginning”. “We have miles to go and lots of achievements that await us,” he said, calling for a shift towards a broader and more resilient economic engagement.

According to the minister, the CEPA will act as an enabler for a more ambitious phase of cooperation by offering duty-free access, addressing trade barriers and simplifying rules, which would make exports from both sides more competitively priced in each other’s markets. He invited Omani businesses to leverage India’s large and vibrant domestic market, while positioning Oman as a strategic gateway for Indian companies to the Gulf, Africa and West Asia.

Goyal also acknowledged the role of the 700,000-strong Indian diaspora in Oman, describing it as a living bridge that strengthens bilateral ties.

Speaking at the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the India–Oman CEPA marks a decisive step in elevating bilateral ties to a higher level, rooted in long-standing trust and shared economic ambition. He said the CEPA would expand cooperation across trade, investment, energy transition, technology and people-to-people exchanges, while creating new opportunities for businesses and professionals in both countries.

Highlighting the significance of the pact for Muscat, he said the agreement is Oman’s second free trade agreement with a country, and the first in nearly 20 years, after its FTA with the United States in 2006. “This demonstrates the importance Oman places on its relationship with India, and equally India’s commitment to elevate this partnership to much higher levels,” he said.

The CEPA will be signed on December 18 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq.