A royal decree signed by Sultan Haitham bin Tariq has conferred Omani citizenship on 226 individuals, with the decision published in the country’s Official Gazette on April 19 under Decree No. 46/2026.
The naturalisation follows a legal framework widely regarded as one of the region’s more demanding. Foreign nationals seeking citizenship on general grounds must prove at least 15 consecutive years of legal residence in Oman, with annual absences capped at 90 days. Applicants are further expected to demonstrate Arabic language proficiency, a clean criminal record free of offences involving dishonour or breach of trust, sound health with no infectious diseases, and verifiable income sufficient to cover themselves and any dependants.
Critically, all applicants must submit a formal written pledge to relinquish their original nationality before approval.
The law carves out separate and shorter residency tracks for spouses of Omani nationals. Foreign women wed to Omani men may file for citizenship after eight years of marriage and residence, while widows of Omani men become eligible after six years following their husband’s death. Foreign men married to Omani women face a longer threshold — a minimum of 10 years of continuous marriage and residence — and must additionally have children with their Omani spouse while meeting language, conduct, and financial standards. Divorced women may qualify under defined conditions tied to the length of the marriage, residency duration, and the presence of children.
Children may inherit Omani citizenship through their father. A mother’s Omani nationality can also confer citizenship on a child in specific circumstances, particularly where the father is deceased, absent, or unknown, and subject to residency and judicial requirements.
The law also defines conditions under which citizenship can be revoked or lost entirely. Acquiring another nationality in violation of Omani law, providing false information during the application process, or being convicted of crimes against state security are among the grounds for withdrawal. Extended residence abroad without justification following naturalisation can also trigger revocation.
Penalties for fraudulent applications are severe. Anyone found to have submitted false information or forged documents — whether for their own application or on behalf of another — faces between one and three years in prison, fines of 5,000 to 10,000 Omani riyals, or both, with courts also empowered to impose harsher penalties under other applicable laws.
