Oman residency through an Integrated Tourism Complex

Residency in Oman begins with title. A non-GCC foreigner may hold freehold only inside a government-licensed Integrated Tourism Complex, under Royal Decree 12/2006, in destinations such as Al Mouj Muscat, Muscat Bay, Jebel Sifah and AIDA. That freehold is the foundation: it is the asset and, in the same purchase, the basis for a residence permit.

From there the residence runs on two tracks. Owning any qualifying ITC unit has traditionally conferred a renewable, property-linked permit for owner and immediate family, tied to continued ownership. A larger purchase can instead secure the Investor Residency relaunched on 31 August 2025: a ten-year Golden Visa or a five-year Silver Visa. The decision is not whether the holding grants residency, but which residence it is sized to support.

An ITC freehold gives the owner a registered title in their own name and, with it, the right to apply for a residence permit issued by the Royal Oman Police. The permit is renewable, extends to immediate family, and rests on continued ownership rather than on time spent in the country. There is no minimum-stay requirement reported on this route, though that is confirmed by the absence of a stated rule rather than an explicit official statement, so we verify it case by case.

One point deserves honesty. The lower-value, ownership-linked permit, often described as running on a roughly two-year renewal cycle for units below the investor thresholds, is the least formally documented element of the Omani system. It rests on market-guide sources rather than a primary Royal Oman Police citation, and the August 2025 reform may have reshaped it. Treat it as indicative, and confirm the current terms before relying on it. Many entry-level ITC apartments sit well below the OMR 250,000 investor floor and would, on their own, qualify only for this lower permit, if it remains in force.

On 31 August 2025, announced in Salalah under MoCIIP, Oman relaunched its investor residency. As widely reported by international law firms and advisers, it runs as two tiers: a five-year Silver Visa from OMR 250,000 of qualifying real estate, and a ten-year Golden Visa from OMR 500,000. Buying ITC real estate at or above the threshold is one of the qualifying routes; at the Golden tier, alternatives include a company investment or government bonds, while the Silver tier accepts a qualifying company investment.

Both tiers are renewable for as long as the qualifying investment is maintained, and both include first-degree family: spouse, children and dependent parents. Selling the qualifying asset without reinvesting puts the status at risk. Application fees are published at OMR 551 for the Golden tier and OMR 326 for the Silver. Neither tier carries a reported minimum-stay rule, and neither leads to citizenship.

A live caution belongs here. The exact threshold after the August 2025 reform is not fully settled in the public record. The OMR 250,000 and OMR 500,000 tiers above come from a top law firm and a Big Four adviser; separately, several outlets report the reform lowered entry to a single, lower figure for ten-year residency. These accounts cannot all be right. We do not quote a single definitive number to a client without confirming it against the official Invest Oman or MoCIIP position first.

The cost of residency through an ITC is mostly the cost of the property itself. A foreign buyer pays a 3% transfer fee to the Ministry of Housing on the purchase, with agency and legal on top, and the relevant investor-visa application fee. Holding is light: there is no annual property tax, no inheritance tax and no general capital gains tax, though a landlord pays a 3% municipality tax on rent. Resale of residential property is exempt from the 5% VAT, while a developer's first sale of a new build is taxed.

One change is coming that every long-term resident should price in. From 1 January 2028, under Royal Decree 56/2025, Oman introduces a 5% personal income tax on income above OMR 42,000, the first such tax in the GCC. Rental income is in scope, so an investor letting an ITC unit and a resident with Omani-source income above the threshold will fall within it. The tax authority states roughly 99% of the population sits below the line, so it reaches high earners, but a rental portfolio can cross it.

Oman offers a quiet, ownership-led residence rather than a fast-track passport. The proposition is consistent: hold a freehold ITC asset and the residence holds with it, for the owner and immediate family, with no minimum stay reported and a modest application fee. For a buyer who wants a Gulf base without a presence obligation, and who values a calm, low-tax holding environment, the structure is well suited.

Two disciplines keep the entry clean. First, confirm the live investor threshold before committing, because the public figures conflict and we will not quote a number we have not verified with the authority. Second, price in the 5% personal income tax from 2028 if the plan involves rental income or Omani-source earnings above OMR 42,000. Neither route grants citizenship, and the lower property-linked permit should be treated as indicative until confirmed. Get those right and the residence is exactly what it appears to be: an asset and a permission, held together.