Inside Oman’s Golden Visa: New Pathways to 10-Year Residency for Investors and High-Net-Worth Individuals

Oman Launches 10-Year Golden Visa to Attract Global Investors and Ultra-Wealthy Expats

Oman has officially entered the Middle East’s intensifying competition for foreign capital and talent. On August 31, at the Sustainable Business Environment Forum in Salalah, officials announced the country’s first Golden Visa program—an ambitious initiative aligned with Oman Vision 2040. Designed to attract foreign investors, high-net-worth individuals, and skilled professionals, the program offers long-term residency of up to ten years.

For global executives, family offices, and private investors assessing diversification opportunities, Oman’s move signals both a strategic opening of its economy and a bid to position itself alongside regional peers in the race for global capital inflows.

Two-Tier Golden Visa Framework

The Golden Visa is structured into two distinct tiers, offering flexibility depending on the applicant’s investment appetite and strategic objectives:

1. Tier One: 10-Year Residency
   Minimum Investment: 500,000 Omani rials (~USD 1.3 million) via company equity, government bonds, or real estate.
   Business Pathway: Alternatively, eligibility can be secured by establishing a company that employs at least 50 Omani nationals—a measure intended to stimulate domestic job creation.
   Visa Fee: 551 Omani rials (~USD 1,430), renewable.
2. Tier Two: 5-Year Residency
   Minimum Investment: 250,000 Omani rials (~USD 650,000) in company shares or property.
   Retirement Option: Retirees may also apply by demonstrating a fixed monthly income of 4,000 rials (~USD 10,400).
   Visa Fee: 326 Omani rials (~USD 850), renewable.

Both tiers extend benefits to spouses, children, and first-degree relatives, with no age or number restrictions. Applicants must be at least 21 years old, hold valid health insurance, and remain subject to existing nationality laws (meaning permanent citizenship is not guaranteed under this framework).

Why Oman is Entering the Golden Visa Race

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are accelerating efforts to secure long-term foreign investment, high-skilled talent, and affluent expatriates. With oil revenues stabilizing and economic diversification becoming a pressing priority, Gulf governments are rethinking residency policies to encourage inflows of foreign capital and expertise.

For Oman, Vision 2040 underscores a national strategy to broaden economic participation beyond hydrocarbons, enhance global competitiveness, and foster private sector growth. Golden Visa residency is being positioned as both a financial and social lever: it incentivizes investors while creating more predictable stability for expatriates who contribute to the domestic economy.

Regional Comparisons: A High-Stakes Contest

Oman’s entry into the golden visa market intensifies competition across the Gulf. Key regional benchmarks include:

• United Arab Emirates (UAE): Offers 10-year visas with investment thresholds beginning around USD 545,000 in real estate. Dubai and Abu Dhabi remain global magnets for high-net-worth individuals seeking tax efficiency and world-class infrastructure.
• Saudi Arabia: Introduced its Premium Residency scheme, with entry options ranging from a one-time payment of USD 213,000 to annual permits of USD 26,700. Additional investment pathways for real estate and businesses start at USD 1.07 million and USD 1.86 million, respectively.
• Qatar: Issues long-term residency permits for real estate investments of at least USD 200,000, with permanent residency benefits requiring approximately USD 1 million.
• Bahrain: Rolled out its 10-year golden residency program in 2022, requiring property investments of at least USD 530,000 or targeting high-earning professionals and retirees.

Oman’s approach, priced between USD 650,000 and USD 1.3 million for investors, positions it in the middle of the GCC spectrum—more accessible than Saudi Arabia’s top tiers, yet more exclusive than Qatar’s entry-level thresholds.

Strategic Implications for Global Investors

For CEOs, private equity partners, and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, Oman’s Golden Visa presents an opportunity to:

• Diversify Residency Portfolios: Residency rights have become increasingly valuable assets for global investors seeking geopolitical hedging, tax planning flexibility, and lifestyle security.
• Leverage Real Estate Upside: Oman’s underdeveloped real estate market offers significant potential for long-term capital appreciation compared with more mature markets like Dubai or Riyadh.
• Enable Family Mobility: With broad eligibility covering spouses, children, and first-degree relatives, Oman’s framework appeals to family offices seeking multi-generational security.
• Align with Vision 2040: Investors gain early-mover advantages in industries earmarked for growth under Oman’s economic diversification strategy—logistics, tourism, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing.

The Bottom Line

Oman’s Golden Visa program is not merely a residency incentive—it is a signal of the Sultanate’s intent to reposition itself as a serious player in the global competition for talent and investment. For affluent expatriates, institutional investors, and corporate leaders, the program represents a gateway into one of the Gulf’s most underexplored but strategically ambitious economies.

As CEOs and investors evaluate their global mobility strategies, Oman’s entry into the Golden Visa market may offer both a hedge against regional volatility and a high-potential platform for long-term capital deployment. In an era where residency is increasingly interwoven with wealth management and global strategy, Oman has staked its claim in the golden visa race.

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The Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Index evaluates the performance of the 11 nations currently offering operational Citizenship By Investment (CBI) programs: St Kitts and Nevis (Saint Kitts and Nevis), Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia (St. Lucia), Antigua & Barbuda, Nauru, Vanuatu, Türkiye (Turkey), São Tomé and Príncipe, Jordan, and Egypt.