What it is
Two different instruments give a foreign property owner the right to live in Oman. One is tied to owning a home and has no price attached at all; the other is an investment programme with a threshold and a ten-year term. They are not two rungs of the same ladder.
The Golden Residency was relaunched on 1 September 2025 and is administered by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion through Invest Oman, with property one of its seven qualifying routes. The owner's residence is older and sits in the executive regulation of the Foreigners' Residence Law, which the Royal Oman Police amended in June 2026.
Neither is tied to employment. The owner's residence lasts while you hold the property and ends when the title transfers; the Golden Residency runs its ten years and is renewable.
The two routes
There is no single Oman residency scheme, which is why published figures disagree. Two routes matter to a property buyer, and only one of them has a minimum price. Figures of OMR 250,000 and OMR 500,000 still circulate in law-firm commentary; they were the tiers of the 2021 investor programme, and no Omani government source has published them since the 2025 relaunch.
Any registered property
Term not stated in the current rules
Owner's residence
No minimum purchase price
- Granted without an Omani sponsor to a foreigner who owns a registered property unit, or one whose registration is still in progress. ROP Decision 87/2026 sets no minimum price and no Integrated Tourism Complex condition.
- That decision states no term for the permit itself. The last figure the Royal Oman Police published was two years, renewable while the property stays in your name — on a page that carries no date and predates the amendment. Treat it as the last published figure, not as the current rule.
- It ends as soon as the title transfers to someone else, and the family members it covers lose their residence with it. Apply with your title deed; for a home inside an Integrated Tourism Complex the Royal Oman Police has also required a developer letter certified by the Ministry of Tourism, at a fee of OMR 50.
Relaunched 1 Sep 2025
10 years · renewable
Golden Residency
From OMR 200,000 (about USD 520,000)
- Property is one of seven qualifying routes; the others are company formation, government development bonds, Muscat Stock Exchange shares, a fixed-term deposit, employing 50+ Omanis, and nomination by a company.
- The property route requires a completed residential, commercial or tourism unit with a title deed inside an Integrated Tourism Complex.
- Administered by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion through Invest Oman; applications go through omanresidence.gov.om. Invest Oman and the ministry both state it covers a spouse and children with no limit on number or age. No official source names the body that issues the permit itself.
Eligibility calculator
Move the sliders below to see which tier your investment qualifies for. The result is illustrative — final eligibility is decided case-by-case by the competent Omani authority.
Eligibility calculator
Estimate which residency route your investment qualifies for. Final decision rests with the competent authority.
Property type
Your effective investment
Property price × your ownership share.
Eligible · Golden Residency, 10 years
Your effective investment is at or above the OMR 200,000 Golden Residency threshold. The property route requires a completed residential, commercial or tourism unit with a title deed inside an Integrated Tourism Complex. It covers a spouse and children with no limit on number or age.
Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion · apply via omanresidence.gov.om
This calculator is illustrative. Thresholds and procedures evolve and the Royal Oman Police — Civil Status Department makes the final decision. Verify the latest requirements before signing any binding agreement.
Eligible property types
Not every property qualifies. The competent authority generally accepts three categories:
- ITC freehold. Residential units inside an Integrated Tourism Complex (e.g., Jebel Sifah, Muscat Bay, Hawana Salalah, The Sustainable City Yiti). These are the most straightforward to qualify.
- Off-plan in qualifying developments. Off-plan units under construction by licensed developers in ITCs. Documentation must include an escrow account and an active sale-and-purchase agreement.
- Commercial real estate. Commercial property can qualify but is reviewed under a separate track and typically requires an additional economic-contribution check.
Application process
Sign and register the SPA
Sign a sale-and-purchase agreement with a licensed developer or seller. Register the SPA with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning.
Transfer funds via escrow
All payments flow through a regulated escrow account. Keep bank confirmations — they are part of the residency application file.
Receive the title deed
Once payments meet the developer's milestones, the title deed (Mulkiya) is issued in your name.
Submit the residency application
File the application with the Royal Oman Police — Department of Civil Status, with title deed, passport copies, medical clearance, and bank statements.
Receive the residency card
Approval typically takes 30 to 90 days. The residency card lets you enter and exit Oman freely for the duration of the visa.
What it grants
Investor Residency grants the holder and their qualifying family members:
- The right to reside in Oman without a work-tied visa for the duration of the residency.
- Multiple-entry travel without applying for visit visas each time.
- The right to open bank accounts, sign property and rental contracts in your own name.
- Access to private healthcare and to enrol dependent children in private schools.
Limits and what it does not grant
Investor Residency is not citizenship and does not grant:
- Omani nationality or a passport — these follow a separate naturalisation process with much longer timelines.
- Automatic right to take paid employment in Oman — that still requires a work permit through an employer.
- Continued residency if you sell the qualifying asset without replacing it with another qualifying investment.
Frequently asked questions
Can I qualify with joint ownership?
Can I qualify with joint ownership?
Yes — what matters is your effective stake. If a property is priced at OMR 600,000 and you hold 50%, your effective investment is OMR 300,000, above the OMR 200,000 Golden Residency threshold. The owner's residence has no threshold at all, so joint ownership does not affect it.
Does an off-plan project qualify before handover?
Does an off-plan project qualify before handover?
For the owner's residence, yes: ROP Decision 87/2026 covers a unit whose registration is still in progress. The Golden Residency property route is different — it requires a completed unit with a title deed inside an Integrated Tourism Complex, so an off-plan purchase qualifies for it only once handed over and registered.
Do I have to live in Oman to keep the residency?
Do I have to live in Oman to keep the residency?
Neither route sets a minimum-stay requirement. The Golden Residency programme publishes no ongoing residence condition, and the owner's residence depends on continuing to hold the property rather than on days spent in Oman.
Which family members are covered?
Which family members are covered?
Invest Oman and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion both state the Golden Residency covers a spouse and children, with no limit on number or age. Neither names parents, and no official source extends it to them — the first-degree-relative wording that circulates comes from Royal Decree 38/2025, which governs special economic zones, not this programme. On the owner's residence, the family members it covers lose their residence when the title transfers.
What happens if I sell the property?
What happens if I sell the property?
The owner's residence ends as soon as the title transfers to someone else, and the family members it covers lose theirs with it — it does not run on to the next renewal. If you intend to sell and stay, have the replacement purchase in place first.