Can foreigners buy property in Oman? ITCs explained

Check ownership eligibility and title for the specific home before reserving. Ask for the scheme’s approval, the exact title or usufruct instrument, and written confirmation that it is available to a buyer in your circumstances. The homes listed here do not all use the same ownership route.

An ITC label does not replace the documents for a specific purchase. Ask for the scheme’s approval and the actual title or usufruct instrument, then have your Omani adviser confirm buyer eligibility.

The complexes that sell freehold to foreigners are few, and they cluster. Around Muscat, the established names are Al Mouj Muscat, the Sultanate's first ITC and its most complete, with a marina, golf and schools; Muscat Bay and Muscat Hills; the coastal resort of Jebel Sifah east of the capital; and AIDA, the clifftop scheme by DarGlobal with OMRAN Group. In the south, Hawana Salalah serves the Dhofar coast. The Yiti area, now part of the Sultan Haitham City masterplan, is the newer designation to watch.

Two cautions belong here. First, Musandam, the northern enclave on the Strait of Hormuz, holds licensed ITC capacity but had no sales-ready, foreigner-facing freehold scheme as of mid-2026; projects there were still in planning or construction. Treat any Musandam freehold pitch as unconfirmed until a licensed, marketed development is delivering title. Second, where value compounds is a separate question from where you may buy: the entry price varies sharply between complexes, and many of the cheapest units fall below the residency thresholds.

An ITC purchase follows a clear sequence. You reserve the unit with a booking deposit, commonly around 5 to 10 percent of price, while identity and source-of-funds checks are run. The binding step is the Sales and Purchase Agreement, which locks the payment schedule and handover terms. Title and any encumbrances are verified at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, the balance is paid, and the ministry then registers the property and issues the title deed in your name. For off-plan, all buyer money sits in a mandatory project escrow account and is released against construction progress, a protection reinforced by the 2025 Real Estate Regulation Law.

On a ready or resale property, plan for roughly four to twelve weeks from accepted offer to registered title: about one to two weeks of due diligence and two to four weeks for the deed to issue. Off-plan completes on the developer's two to four year build. An overseas buyer can transact remotely by granting a power of attorney to an Omani lawyer, with funds moving through an Omani bank, though an in-person viewing before committing is still the sound course.

Request an itemised quotation for the selected home showing the price in Omani rials, whether VAT is included or payable, registration and other transaction charges, the payment schedule and ongoing service charges. Confirm the current treatment with the developer and your Omani legal or tax adviser before paying.

Two recurring costs deserve naming. ITC homes carry a service charge, reported at around OMR 0.5 to 2.0 per square metre per month, which funds the standard that protects the community. And from 1 January 2028 Oman introduces a 5% personal income tax under Royal Decree 56/2025, the first in the GCC, on income above OMR 42,000 a year, with rental income in scope. For a private owner of a single home it is unlikely to bite; for a landlord building a portfolio it belongs in the model.

The Royal Oman Police provides a two-year residence-visa service for owners of residential units in Integrated Tourism Complexes. Separately, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion describes a renewable ten-year Golden Residency programme with a minimum investment of OMR 200,000; its property route covers ready-made units in ITCs. Confirm the applicable route, the specific home and the application requirements before relying on residency as part of a purchase.

ROP Decision 87/2026 describes a visa for a buyer of building land or a unit whose registration is incomplete, based on a certificate from the competent authority. It is valid for six to twelve months, extendable for a similar period, and allows stays of up to three months per entry. Confirm which route applies to the specific purchase; completion does not automatically grant a different visa.