Oman Citizenship by Investment: What the Law Says (2026)

Oman Citizenship by Investment: What the Law Says (2026)

There is no Oman citizenship by investment. As of 6 November 2026, the Omani Nationality Law (Royal Decree 17/2025) lists no property, deposit, bond or company route. Nationality is granted by royal decree on the Minister of Interior’s recommendation, and the general foreign applicant needs 15 years of lawful, continuous residence. Property can lead to residency permits only.

This guide reads the law article by article and sets it beside the residency routes that investors actually hold. It explains who decides, what the residence tests mean in days and years, what the marriage and children routes require, what the application costs, how often nationality decrees are issued, what the Golden Residency and Owner Visa do and do not do, which of our listings clear the Golden Residency threshold, how Oman compares with Türkiye, Cyprus and the UAE, and which claims about Omani passports have no basis in the text.

Oman Citizenship by Investment at a Glance: Position on 6 November 2026

The table gives the short answers first. Each row names the instrument or source it rests on, so a reader can check the wording in the original text.

Does Oman Have Citizenship by Investment?

Oman citizenship by investment does not exist as a programme in Omani law. A programme of that kind would need a provision that says a stated sum, placed in a stated asset for a stated time, entitles the investor to apply for nationality. The Omani Nationality Law contains no such provision. The article-by-article summary published by the Oman Observer covers general provisions, original nationality, restoration, grants, loss and withdrawal, and penalties, and none of those chapters mentions capital, real estate, a business or a deposit as a ground for nationality.

What the law does contain is a narrow set of grounds, each tied to family or to long residence. A person is Omani by origin through an Omani father. A person is treated as Omani if born in Oman to unknown parents, or born to an Omani mother whose paternity is not legally established. A foreigner can be granted nationality after a long period of lawful residence, or through marriage to an Omani, or, for a minor child, through an Omani mother in defined situations. A former Omani who renounced the nationality can ask for it back. Beyond these, Article 8 allows the Sultan, by an exceptional royal decree, to grant or restore nationality without the law’s conditions. That power is exercised by decree and the text sets no investment criterion for it.

The same answer appears in the way the government markets its investor programmes. The Golden Residency announced on 31 August 2025 is described by the Oman Observer as a ten-year residency track for long-term investors and skilled professionals, with a threshold of OMR 200,000 ($520,160) on most routes. The article does not mention citizenship or permanent residence. The Owner Visa created by Royal Oman Police Decision 87/2026 is a sponsor-free visa and residency for foreign owners of real estate. Neither is nationality, and a reader who sees a headline about “investor citizenship” in Oman is looking at residency permits under a different name.

Which Law Governs Omani Citizenship in 2026?

The Omani Nationality Law was issued by Royal Decree 17/2025. The decree is dated 3 Sha’ban 1446, which is 2 February 2025, and it was published in Official Gazette No. 1583 on 9 February 2025. Article IV of the decree makes it take effect the day after publication, which is 10 February 2025. Article III repeals Royal Decree 38/2014, the earlier nationality law, together with any conflicting provision. Article II tells the Minister of Interior to issue the executive regulation and says existing decisions stay in force until then where they do not conflict with the new law. The text of the decree is on the decree.om legal portal, and the Oman Observer reported the promulgation on the day in its news item on the new law.

The change of law matters for anyone reading older material. The previous law, as summarised by the decree.om blog, required 20 years of continuous lawful residence for a foreign applicant, or 15 years for a man married to an Omani woman, and it listed Arabic fluency and a legitimate income among its conditions. The decree.om blog’s description of the paths to Omani nationality is written for that earlier text. Under the 2025 law the general residence period is 15 years and the husband of an Omani woman needs 10. Guides that still say 20 years describe a law that was repealed in February 2025.

Four general provisions shape every application, and they explain why no purchase can create an entitlement.

• Article 3. Applications go to the Ministry of Interior, which may reject any application without giving reasons.
• Article 4. The courts have no jurisdiction over nationality matters and related disputes.
• Article 7. A royal decree, on the Minister’s recommendation, grants, withdraws, revokes or restores nationality.
• Article 10. The regulations set the applications, documents, procedures and fees, and the fees need Ministry of Finance approval.

Read together, these articles describe a discretionary decision. Meeting a list of conditions allows a person to apply; it does not oblige the state to grant. A purchase contract, a title deed or a residence card creates no right that a court could enforce, because Article 4 removes the court from the process.

How Can a Foreigner Become an Omani Citizen?

The law groups the grants into a general route and several family routes. The table sets the main conditions side by side, using the article numbers in the Oman Observer’s summary of the law.

Article 16 adds that nationality under the law cannot be granted more than once. Article 9 says naturalised or restored citizens gain civil rights from the date the decree takes effect. Both points matter for planning: a grant is a one-time event, and the rights start only from the decree.

The Gulf News guide to how to get Omani citizenship, last updated 19 May 2025, lists the same core figures: 15 years of continuous legal residence, 10 years of marriage and residence for the husband of an Omani woman and 8 years for the wife of an Omani man. It also notes that minor children acquire nationality through an Omani father if they are born in Oman or reside there.

What Are the Oman Citizenship Requirements for the 15-Year Route?

The general route has eight practical requirements: residence, continuity, Arabic, conduct, a clean record, health, income and renunciation. The numbers in the first two are easy to misread, so it helps to turn them into days.

The residence and absence arithmetic

Article 17 sets 15 years of lawful, continuous residence, and absences of up to 90 days in a year do not break continuity. Worked through:

1. 15 years is 15 × 365 = 5,475 days, ignoring leap days.
2. The allowed absence is 90 days a year, or 90 ÷ 365 = 24.7% of the year.
3. That leaves at least 365 − 90 = 275 days a year in Oman, and across 15 years at most 15 × 90 = 1,350 days abroad in total if every year uses the full allowance.
4. A person whose continuous residence began on 1 January 2027 reaches the 15-year mark on 1 January 2042 at the earliest, and only if every year in between meets the 90-day rule.

The Golden Residency lasts ten years and is renewable, so a 15-year residence history would span at least one renewal of a ten-year permit. The Owner Visa works differently again. The Oman Observer reports that a visa for a plot or unit with incomplete registration runs from six months to one year, renewable, with stays of up to three months per entry. The nationality law counts absence days per year; the visa limits each stay. They are two different measures, and which permits count as lawful residence for Article 17 is a matter the Ministry of Interior decides, with no obligation to give reasons under Article 3.

Language, conduct, health, income and renunciation

The remaining conditions are qualitative. The applicant must read and write Arabic (the family routes for women require spoken Arabic). The applicant must show good conduct and must have no final conviction for a felony or a crime of dishonour, even if rehabilitated, under the general route. Good health and freedom from infectious disease are set by regulation. The income must be legitimate and sufficient for the applicant and dependants. The applicant must give a written renunciation of the prior nationality and hold no other nationality. Minor children can acquire nationality through the father if they were born in Oman or normally live there.

None of these conditions can be met by a payment. A larger property or a larger bank balance does not change the Arabic requirement, the conduct requirement or the number of years.

Who Decides, What Does It Cost and What Happens to the Application?

The Ministry of Interior receives and studies applications, and the Sultan decides by royal decree. The application fee was set at OMR 600 ($1,560.48) with effect from 4 January 2026, according to the Gulf News report on the new citizenship and nationality fees. The same report gives OMR 200 ($520.16) for relinquishing Omani nationality and says eligibility conditions were not changed. The Oman Observer item on the OMR 600 application fee reports the same OMR 600 figure, and Business Today carried the story on 13 January 2026 in its report on the revised fee schedule.

The Oman Observer item also says that documents must be submitted in Arabic and that applicants must appear before the Ministry’s department for required tests, which may cover Arabic or other subjects. The fee is for submitting the application, so it is payable whether or not a decree follows.

What a decision looks like

Nationality grants are published as royal decrees in the Official Gazette. The operative text is short. Royal Decree 46/2026, for example, has two articles: the first grants Omani nationality to the persons named in an attached list, and the second says the decree is published in the Gazette and takes effect on the date of issuance. The list of names is attached to the Gazette issue. The decree states no reasons for any individual, which fits Article 3.

Can You Get Oman Citizenship by Investment Through Property?

Buying property in Oman does not lead to citizenship. Three separate layers explain why, and each can be checked in an official or press source.

1. Ownership is limited by area. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning stated, as Gulf News reported on 28 June 2026, that foreign ownership “has not been opened to all areas of the Sultanate” and remains limited to locations specified under existing laws. It named integrated tourism complexes, the future cities Sultan Haitham City, Al Thuraya City and Al Jabal Al Aali, and integrated residential neighbourhoods including Surooh. See the Gulf News report on the Ministry of Housing clarification.
2. The residency changes concern residency only. The same statement says the recent amendments to the Executive Regulations of the Foreigners’ Residence Law concern residency rights and do not expand property ownership rights.
3. The nationality law has no property clause. Article 17 and the family articles ask for years of residence, language, conduct, health, income and renunciation. None of them asks for an asset.

Our guides on whether foreigners can buy property in Oman and on freehold property in Integrated Tourism Complexes set out where a foreign buyer can hold title. Ownership and nationality are separate questions: a foreign owner remains a foreign national.

What Does Property Actually Give in Oman: Golden Residency, Owner Visa and ITC Visa

Three residency instruments are linked to property or investment. The table compares them using the dates and figures in the sources named in the last column.

The Oman Observer’s report on the Golden Residency launch lists seven routes at the OMR 200,000 level: company establishment, property in an ITC, government development bonds, listed equities, a five-year fixed deposit, a company employing at least 50 Omanis, and company registration under the Foreign Investment Law. For the property route, only completed units with a title deed qualify, and a company-owned unit needs a certified final balance sheet. The report does not mention citizenship or permanent residence. Our own guide to the Golden Residency and the Owner Visa and the longer residency-by-property guide cover the application mechanics.

The Owner Visa was published in Official Gazette No. 1653 on 21 June 2026 and took effect the next day, according to Zawya’s report on the amended residency regulations. The Oman Observer’s report on property-linked visas adds that sponsors can now include Omani citizens, GCC citizens, licensed foreign investors, foreign property owners and foreign employees of government entities. The Royal Oman Police’s property owner residence visa page lists the older ITC owner visa with its OMR 50 fee and two-year validity.

All three instruments are residence permits. None of the sources above describes a permanent status, and the Golden Residency is a ten-year renewable permit. Residence under a permit and nationality under the Nationality Law are governed by different instruments, administered by different bodies: the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion and the Royal Oman Police on one side, the Ministry of Interior and the Sultan on the other. For family members, our guide to residency for spouse, children and parents sets out the sponsorship rules.

Which of Our Listings Clear the Golden Residency Threshold?

Because the Golden Residency is the only residency instrument with a property value test, it is useful to see where listings sit against OMR 200,000. The table converts the prices on our listing pages at the OMR peg of 2.6008 USD, as of 6 November 2026. Prices are as stated on each listing page and can change.

The arithmetic is simple. Each USD price is divided by 2.6008: $442,100 ÷ 2.6008 = OMR 169,986, and $761,600 ÷ 2.6008 = OMR 292,833. The threshold in dollars is OMR 200,000 × 2.6008 = $520,160. The Sarooj entry price of OMR 31,600 is 15.8% of the threshold, so the shortfall is OMR 168,400 ($437,975). Our listing pages state that the Golden Residency requires a single ITC property worth at least OMR 200,000, that the Royal Oman Police decides, and that the Owner Visa has no minimum value.

None of these listings is a case of Oman citizenship by investment; they are priced homes in places where foreigners can hold title. Two cautions apply. First, a price above the threshold is a necessary condition, not a decision: the Royal Oman Police decides each application, and the property must be a completed unit with a title deed in an ITC. Second, the table says nothing about nationality. Every unit in it, from the OMR 31,600 apartment to the OMR 339,126 one-bedroom, sits in the same position under the Nationality Law: the owner is a foreign national and the 15-year test, with its language, conduct and renunciation conditions, is the same. For a wider view of price levels, see our guide to property prices in Oman, and for the developers behind these projects, the Oman developers directory. Sultan Haitham City, where the Sarooj project sits, is described in our Sultan Haitham City guide.

Does Oman Allow Dual Nationality?

The renunciation rule and the exception

Oman does not allow dual nationality as a general rule. Article 5 says holding Omani nationality alongside another requires a royal decree on the Minister’s recommendation. Article 17 asks the general applicant for a written renunciation of the prior nationality and for confirmation that no other nationality is held, and Article 23 says an Omani who acquires another nationality in breach of the law loses Omani nationality automatically.

The exception exists and has been used. Royal Decree 29/2025, issued on 3 March 2025 and published in Official Gazette No. 1587 on 9 March 2025, grants Omani nationality to a Russian national and authorises her to hold Omani and Russian nationality together. Gulf News described it as the first dual-nationality decree under the new law in its report on the first dual citizenship grant. The text of Decree 29/2025 has two articles and gives no criteria, which is consistent with the royal discretion described in Article 5. The decision also shows what the exception is: a decree for a named person, not an application route that an investor can file for.

For a buyer, the practical effect of Article 17 is that naturalisation would ordinarily mean giving up the passport held today. A residency permit asks for no such step.

What can be withdrawn, and when

Nationality granted by naturalisation can be withdrawn, and the grounds are listed in Chapter Four of the law. Article 27 allows withdrawal from a naturalised citizen for any ground that applies to original citizens, for obtaining nationality illegally, for a final conviction for a state-security crime, for final custodial sentences for more than one felony within five years of acquiring nationality, and for living abroad for more than 24 consecutive months without justification. The last ground is stated in months, so it can be checked: 24 months is about 730 days of continuous absence.

Two marriage-linked rules also apply. A foreign man naturalised through marriage to an Omani woman loses nationality if the marriage ends in divorce or desertion within five years of the grant, and his children keep theirs (Article 24). A foreign woman naturalised through marriage to an Omani man loses nationality if, after a divorce, she marries a non-Omani (Article 25). For original citizens, Article 26 lists revocation grounds including insulting Oman or the Sultan and working for a hostile state.

Article 28 sets the penalty for false information or incorrect documents used to obtain or deny nationality at one to three years in prison, a fine of OMR 5,000 to 10,000 ($13,004 to $26,008), or both. The Gulf News report on the 226 individuals granted citizenship describes the same penalty. The law is therefore specific about falsified documents, which is relevant to any intermediary who offers to arrange an application on paper.

How Many People Get Omani Citizenship? Recent Royal Decrees

Nationality decrees appear in the Official Gazette a few times a year. The table lists the decrees found for 2025 and 2026, using the decree.om texts and press reports. Names are in attached lists; the decree text itself usually does not give a count, so the numbers below come from press reports where one exists.

The most recent decree, Royal Decree 89/2026, falls inside the last 60 days. The text on decree.om says nationality is reinstated to those named in the attached list, and the Gulf News report on the restoration for 11 people, published on 18 October 2026, gives the count and notes that Article 7 allows nationality to be granted, withdrawn, revoked or restored by royal decree and that Article 8 allows exceptional grants. A restoration decree concerns people who held Omani nationality before, so it is a different thing from a grant to a newcomer.

The other texts are on decree.om: Royal Decree 46/2026, Royal Decree 26/2026 and Royal Decree 94/2025. The Gulf News reports on 45 individuals and 156 expatriates supply the counts. The April 2026 report on the 226 grants describes the general requirements as 15 years of residence, Arabic, good conduct, good health, a stable income and a commitment to renounce the existing nationality, and it does not mention investor or property pathways. None of the decree texts states the reason for any individual grant.

How Does Oman Citizenship by Investment Compare With Türkiye, Cyprus and the UAE?

The reason searchers ask about Oman citizenship by investment is that other countries have, or had, programmes of that kind. The comparison below uses only official or news sources read for this article, and shows what each country’s own text says. The first row is Oman, for reference.

The Invest in Türkiye guide on acquiring property and citizenship says foreigners can acquire citizenship through real estate worth USD 400,000 and more, with a declaration that the property will not be sold for three years and a title deed that records the purpose. It adds that citizenship is granted by the President of the Republic. The guide is undated, so it should be read as the position on 6 November 2026 only as far as the page shows. At the OMR peg, USD 400,000 is OMR 153,799, which is OMR 46,201 below the Oman Golden Residency threshold of OMR 200,000, but the two figures buy different things: one is a route to nationality and the other a residence permit.

Cyprus shows how such programmes end. Al Jazeera reported on 13 October 2020 that the government would abolish its citizenship-through-investment programme from 1 November 2020, after an internal audit and leaked documents raised questions about how passports were issued; applicants had needed to invest at least $2.5 million, usually in real estate. See the Al Jazeera report. The UAE’s Golden Residency guide from the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security sets a property value of AED 2,000,000 and ten years for real estate investors and speaks only of residence.

The comparison is a reason to read Oman’s own text rather than assume a Gulf equivalent. Some countries combine investment and nationality in statute; Oman’s law does not.

Which Claims About Omani Passports and Investment Have No Basis?

Several claims about Oman citizenship by investment circulate in agent material and search results. Each of the following can be tested against the texts cited above.

• “Buy OMR 200,000 of property and get an Omani passport.” The OMR 200,000 threshold belongs to the Golden Residency, a ten-year renewable residence permit. The Nationality Law has no property route.
• “The Golden Residency is permanent residency.” The Oman Observer describes a ten-year track, and the sources read for this article describe no permanent status.
• “Twenty years of residence are required.” That figure belongs to the repealed Royal Decree 38/2014. Article 17 of the 2025 law sets 15 years.
• “Ten years of residence on an investor card convert into citizenship.” The article-by-article summary contains no clause that converts a residency period on a particular permit into a right to nationality.
• “Dual citizenship comes with it.” Article 5 requires a royal decree, and Article 17 asks for a written renunciation of the prior nationality.
• “Born in Oman means Omani.” Article 15 treats as Omani a person born in Oman to unknown parents; the article names unknown parents, not birth to foreign parents.
• “The Owner Visa is a path to citizenship.” ROP Decision 87/2026 creates a sponsor-free visa and residency tied to ownership, and it ends if title is transferred.
• “A lawyer can promise approval.” Article 3 allows rejection without reasons and Article 4 removes the courts.

A short verification routine helps. First, ask for the article number in the Nationality Law that the claim rests on. Second, check that the article is in Royal Decree 17/2025 and not in the repealed 2014 text. Third, check whether the document is a residency instrument (Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion or Royal Oman Police) or a nationality decree (Ministry of Interior and Official Gazette). Fourth, check the date, because the fee schedule changed on 4 January 2026 and the Owner Visa took effect on 22 June 2026. Buyers who are reviewing a sales pitch can also use our checklist of mistakes and red flags when buying property in Oman.

What a foreign property owner in Oman does instead

A foreign owner who has searched for Oman citizenship by investment and wants a long stay finds residency instruments instead, each with its own conditions. For a unit in an ITC priced at OMR 200,000 or more, the Golden Residency is the instrument with the ten-year term. For a lower-priced unit or a plot, the Owner Visa and Property Owner Residency are the instruments reported in June 2026. For a residential unit in an ITC, the gov.om visa with the OMR 50 fee and two-year validity is the older instrument. Retirees can read how these routes work in daily life in our guide to retiring in Oman, and the property side of inheritance in our guide to inheritance and estate planning for foreign property owners.

Taxes are a separate question from both nationality and residency. Oman’s personal income tax starts on 1 January 2028 under Royal Decree 56/2025, at 5% above OMR 42,000, with rental income included. Our sibling guide to Oman income tax for foreigners works through the numbers. The purchase process itself, from reservation to registration, is covered in how to buy property in Oman, and buyers of other nationalities can read whether Americans can buy property in Oman.

Nothing in these routes needs a decision about nationality. A buyer can hold property under a residency permit for as long as the permit and ownership allow, and the citizenship question arises only if the person plans to live in Oman for 15 years or marries an Omani national, at which point the Nationality Law applies as written.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Oman have citizenship by investment?

No, Oman citizenship by investment does not exist in the Omani Nationality Law (Royal Decree 17/2025) as of 6 November 2026. The law lists origin, restoration, long residence, marriage and certain child routes, and an exceptional royal grant under Article 8, but no property, deposit, bond or company route. Investment leads to residency permits such as the Golden Residency.

How to get Oman citizenship by investment?

There is no application route to obtain Oman citizenship by investment, so there is nothing to file. A foreigner can apply under the general route after 15 years of lawful, continuous residence, with Arabic, good conduct, health, income and renunciation conditions, and the Ministry of Interior may reject an application without reasons. An investor’s alternative is residency, such as the Golden Residency at OMR 200,000 ($520,160).

Does Oman give citizenship?

Yes, Oman grants nationality, but only under the Nationality Law and by royal decree. Recent decrees include 46/2026 (reported as 226 people, April 2026), 94/2025 (reported as 45 people, November 2025) and the restoration decree 89/2026 (11 people, October 2026). The grants are for people who meet the residence or family conditions, not for purchasers.

Can you get citizenship in Oman?

Yes, a foreigner can become an Omani citizen through 15 years of lawful, continuous residence, through marriage (10 years for the husband of an Omani woman, 8 for the wife of an Omani man, 6 for a widow), or in the child routes of Article 22. The Sultan grants nationality by royal decree, and the Ministry of Interior receives the application and the OMR 600 ($1,560) fee.

What are the Oman citizenship requirements?

The Oman citizenship requirements for the general route are 15 years of lawful, continuous residence, the ability to read and write Arabic, good conduct, no final conviction for a felony or dishonour crime, good health, a legitimate income and a written renunciation of the prior nationality. Absences of up to 90 days a year do not break continuity, which means at least 275 days a year in Oman.

Does the Golden Residency lead to Omani citizenship?

No, the Golden Residency is a ten-year renewable residence permit with a threshold of OMR 200,000, and it is not a route to Omani citizenship. The Oman Observer’s launch report describes seven investment routes and does not mention nationality. A holder who later wants nationality would apply under the Nationality Law like any other foreigner.

Is dual citizenship allowed in Oman?

No, dual citizenship is not allowed unless a royal decree permits it. Article 5 requires a royal decree on the Minister’s recommendation, Article 17 asks the general applicant to renounce the prior nationality, and Article 23 removes Omani nationality from an Omani who acquires another in breach of the law. Royal Decree 29/2025 is a reported example of the exception.

How much does Omani citizenship cost?

The application fee is OMR 600 ($1,560.48), in force since 4 January 2026, and relinquishing Omani nationality costs OMR 200 ($520.16). There is no investment amount in the Nationality Law, so no sum can be paid to obtain nationality. Fees are set under Article 10 with Ministry of Finance approval.

Can the Owner Visa be turned into Oman investment citizenship?

No, the Owner Visa under ROP Decision 87/2026 is a sponsor-free visa and residency tied to ownership, and it is not an Oman investment citizenship route. It has no minimum property value, covers the spouse and first-degree relatives, and ends when the property is transferred. Nationality is decided under a separate law by the Ministry of Interior and the Sultan.

Which countries still offer citizenship by investment compared with Oman?

Türkiye lists citizenship by real estate at USD 400,000 or more with a three-year resale restriction, according to the Invest in Türkiye guide, while Cyprus abolished its programme from 1 November 2020. Oman has no equivalent to either. The UAE’s Golden Residency for real estate investors (AED 2,000,000) is a residency, in the same category as Oman’s.

Last checked: 6 November 2026. Sources: decree.om, Royal Decree 17/2025; Oman Observer, Omani Nationality Law summary; Oman Observer, promulgation of the law; Gulf News, how to get Omani citizenship; Gulf News, new fees; Oman Observer, OMR 600 fee; Oman Observer, Golden Residency launch; Oman Observer, property-linked visas; gov.om, property owner visa; decree.om, Royal Decree 89/2026; decree.om, Royal Decree 29/2025; Invest in Türkiye; Al Jazeera; UAE ICP.