Home / Programs / Oman / Property-Owner Permit

Program detail · ROP Decision 87/2026

Oman's Property-Owner Residence Permit: the Zero-Minimum Route

Since 22 June 2026, owning any property in Oman - at any value, including off-plan - can carry a sponsor-free residence permit for you, your spouse and your first-degree relatives. It is the Gulf's only zero-threshold property residency, and it is materially thinner than a golden visa. Both halves of that sentence matter.

What the decision actually creates

ROP Decision No. 87/2026, amending the Executive Regulations of the Foreigners' Residence Law and published in Official Gazette issue No. 1653 on 21 June 2026, creates sponsor-free property-linked visas and residence permits for foreign property owners with no minimum property value. Duration runs "not less than six months and not more than one year, renewable for a similar period". It covers both registered units and units still undergoing registration - off-plan qualifies, which the Golden Residency's real estate route does not accept. It extends to the buyer's spouse and first-degree relatives, and it lapses if ownership of the unit is transferred.

Why this matters beyond Oman

Every Gulf property-residency program prices entry with a threshold - the UAE at AED 2,000,000, Qatar at its own line, Oman's Golden Residency at OMR 200,000. The Owner Permit is the region's first zero-threshold property residency, and one trade publication put the trade-off precisely: it "sits apart from Oman's Investor Residency program, with thinner benefits to match its lack of a minimum threshold." Short renewal cycles mean recurring administrative exposure, and no published path leads from it to permanence or citizenship. It is a foothold instrument, not a golden visa - but for owners below any threshold, a foothold is more than the rest of the region offers.

The boundary that has not moved

The permit does not change where foreigners can buy. Foreign freehold remains limited to Integrated Tourism Complexes under Royal Decree 12/2006, with usufruct outside them in approved locations. The new Real Estate Registry Law (Royal Decree 56/2026, in force 18 May 2026) modernises registration and recognises off-plan sales in a Preliminary Registry, but our clause-level reading finds no repeal of the ITC-only rule - press claims that geographic restrictions are lifting hang on executive regulations that have not been issued. Treat nationwide foreign ownership as not yet in force.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get Oman residency by buying a cheap apartment?

Since 22 June 2026, yes in principle: the Owner Permit carries no minimum value. The property must still be one a foreigner can legally own - in practice an Integrated Tourism Complex unit or an approved usufruct - and the permit renews every 6 to 12 months rather than granting a long term.

Does an off-plan purchase qualify?

Yes, for this permit - the decision covers units still undergoing registration. Off-plan does not qualify for the Golden Residency's property route, which takes completed ITC units only.

Which should I aim for - the Owner Permit or the Golden Residency?

They solve different problems. Below OMR 200,000, the Owner Permit is the only property route. At or above it, the Golden Residency buys a 10-year term and the fuller benefits stack - see what it costs and the full profile for the verified detail, including the two questions no official source yet answers.