Venue and catering software for Oman's halls, ballrooms and caterers

VAT basics for venues and caterers

VAT is 5% and applies to hall hire, catering and event services; prices must be presented inclusive of tax. Registration is mandatory above OMR 38,500 of supplies over 12 months and voluntary from OMR 19,250. VAT is due on the earliest of supply, invoice or payment, tax invoices are due within 15 days, records are kept 10 years, and Fawtara e-invoicing is being phased in.

How Oman books its celebrations

Weddings remain the backbone of the trade. Families often hold separate celebrations for men and women, sometimes on different evenings, and many halls supply the dinner, the Omani halwa and the kahwa as part of the package. Bookings are made by phone or WhatsApp, and the family usually pays an advance to hold the date.

Companies and government bodies form the second market. They book iftars in Ramadan, national day events in November and conferences through the year, and they expect a formal quotation and a tax invoice that their finance teams can process.

Outside catering connects the two. Kitchens in Muscat and the larger towns serve weddings in homes and tents, company sites and private gatherings, often travelling long distances, which makes delivery times and staff planning as important as the menu.

VAT basics for Omani venues and caterers

VAT is 5% under Article 36 of the law. Hall hire and catering are not among the exempt supplies listed in Article 47, so registered venues and caterers charge 5%. Article 37 requires prices to be presented inclusive of tax, which changes how many halls write their price lists.

Registration is mandatory once supplies over 12 months exceed OMR 38,500 and voluntary from OMR 19,250. VAT is due on the earliest of the supply, the tax invoice or a payment, so advances bring VAT forward, and the Executive Regulations as amended by Decision 456/2022 give 15 days to issue a tax invoice. Records are kept for 10 years.

The Tax Authority is also introducing mandatory e-invoicing through the Fawtara programme, starting with selected large taxpayers and moving in phases to medium and small businesses. Each business should check its phase on the Authority's e-invoicing page.

The paperwork behind one Omani wedding

One wedding at an Omani hall usually produces a quotation with the VAT inclusive package price, a booking confirmation, a receipt and tax invoice for the advance, an event sheet for the kitchen and floor, and a final tax invoice and receipt for the balance. If the family cancels, there is a refund and the VAT adjustment that goes with it.

Company events add a purchase order and a request for a tax invoice with the company's VAT number. When those documents all hang off one booking record, the hall can answer any question from a family, a company or the Tax Authority without searching through chat histories.

That same record is what an e-invoicing provider will need when Fawtara reaches your phase. Halls that already keep clean, consistent invoice data will find the switch far easier than those still writing invoices by hand.

Guides for Omani venues and caterers

The banquet hall booking software guide covers hall diaries, holds, VAT inclusive prices, advances and Fawtara for wedding halls and ballrooms. The catering software guide covers orders, kitchen sheets, per head pricing and tax invoices for Omani caterers. Both include a demo checklist and a free Excel quote.

Venura runs on the web, Android and iOS, with a free 30-day trial and pricing for Oman on request. It keeps bookings, orders, documents and payments together, and leaves VAT returns and e-invoice submission to you, your accountant and your e-invoicing provider.

If you run both a hall and a kitchen, the two apps can sit side by side: the hall diary in the venue app and outside orders in the catering app, each with its own quotations, invoices and payment records.

Questions from Oman