Many of you have been sending me e-mails asking about acquiring the Omani citizenship. So, here you go:
ROYAL DECREE NO. (3/83) LAW ON THE ORGANIZATION OF THE OMANI NATIONALITY
ARTICLE (1): is considered legally an Omani who
1- was born in Oman or outside with an Omani father.
2- was born in Oman or outside with an Omani mother, but an unknown father or a father who lost his Omani nationality.
3- was born in Oman with unknown parents.
4- was born in Oman and made it his home in the condition that the father was born in Oman with a lost nationality.
ARTICLE (2): a foreigner can request an Omani citizenship if the following conditions apply
1- An adult who is familiar with the Arabic language (reading and writing)
2- Before submitting a request, the person should have resided in Oman for a continuous 20 years or 10 years if married to an Omani woman. Note that his stay is not considered continuous if he leaves Oman for over two months in any given year.
3- Must be of good background, free of any disabilities, and has not been convicted of any crime.
4- Must have a legitimate means of earning a living that is sufficient to meet the needs of their dependents.
5- Apply for the citizenship according to the form prepared by the Ministry of Interior, which should state your willingness to renounce your nationality of origin and that your country’s law allows it. In the case that the Ministry accepts the request, the person must stand before the courts and state the following oath:
“I swear by Almighty God to be loyal to the Sultanate of Oman and to respect the laws, costumes, traditions, and be a good citizen as God is my witness”
ARTICLE (3): It is permissible under the exception and a special royal decree granting the Omani citizenship to foreigners without compliance to the requirements refereed in Article (2) of this law.
ARTICLE (4): It is permissible for the foreign wife of a foreign husband, who has acquired the Omani citizenship, to submit a request to obtain the Omani citizenship after 5 years of her stay in Oman. Minor children can obtain the Omani citizenship according to their father that they may in the course of the year following the age of adulthood request to renounce the Omani citizenship, while adult children may request the Omani citizenship in accordance with the terms of naturalization referred to in Article (2) of this law.
ARTICLE (5): it is permissible for a foreign wife of an Omani national to request the Omani citizenship provided that she had been married and living with him in Oman for at least five years.
ARTICLE (6): citizenship is granted individually through a Royal Decree. The citizenship application may be denied even if the applicant has fulfilled all requirements, without any given reason.
Articles (7) through (19) are kind of general stuff, so I will not list them here.
Hope this helps!
I so need to stop being so lazy and learn the language…
It’s not hard.. since its phonetically based, unlike English..
this site has helped me alot. but i have still some confusions. my dad is from bangladesh and he has resdided here on 1982. i was born here in 1991 in royal hospital. my dad is a contractor and he has build alot of houses for the omani people here. can he or i apply for the omani citizenship? i am his daughter and 18 yrs now. if anyone of us can,then pls let me know. my mother is from bangladesh too. we are 2 brothers and 3 sisters who were born here in oman in muscat. i am currently studying in german university of technology in oman. pls let me know. thank you.
Well, since you are above 18, then you can apply for the citizenship in two years.. (if the above applies to you)
You can apply for it, but there is no guarantee you will get it.. but it never hurts to try if it is what you want.
this was really helpful
Just wanted to point out that Oman’s Nationality Law’s been amended a few times and some of the provisions stated here are somewhat different. Also, it’s important to note the difference between “citizenship” and naturalization. Article 6 specifically relates to naturalization.
Sarah, is there any chance of you providing me a link to the amendments? Thanx.
Salam-o-alikum my name is hassan,im born in oman on 20th nov 1990(khoula hospital). we r total 5 brohters amoung them 4 are born here.and we are able to speak all language used in oman like balushi and arabic fluently and very important we have not seen pakistan till yet.i just wanna knw can i apply personally for nationality cuz i love oman and omanis and i wear dashdasha also.i will be just waiting for ur reply.(97772287)
thank you for bringing up this topic. I am just wondering how the wife of an omani national can live a normal life until she fulfills the requirements and then apply for citizenship. I mean by normal life, all these:
– apply for a job in a public organization,
– get a civil service job,
– get a landline and the internet service without paying a warranty fee,
– buy a PROPERTY in any area, not the WAVE,
– apply for loans, apply for credit card,
– Work without being asked to transfer her visa status from family to the employer’s sponsorship,
– being included in the Omanization quota, so not being threatened by losing an omanized occupation,
– CHANGE the Annotation on the resident card from SPONSOR to HUSBAND….
Who could sort out all these,,, so a foreign wife can lead a normal wife until she gets the citizenship, if she choose to apply for it?,,,,,
Wherever you go,,,,they categorized you as an EXPAT,,,,,
I’m excited to the point of running crazy! My father was born in Suroor,My mother was born in Tanzania but her father was born in Sumail.According to the law I’m considered Omani which is what matters.
My father had a passport which is now lost but I have the particulars,including passport nos.and the date of issue.My brother was lucky to have one and I have a copy of it.
My problem is how do I apply for the passport online?Is there a site where I can download the appilcation forms?
as salamu alaykum,
I live here in Oman and am a well-qualified professional. I have a few questions.
I noticed in the comments to this post that “Sarah” says the citizenship laws have been updated. Do you know where I can look up the updated laws?
I am married. Is it possible for a foreigner to marry an Omani woman as his second wife? (Sorry to those with feminist leanings, but polygamy is Islamic, as opposed to dating, which many have no problem supporting.) Just so you won’t see me with bad stereotypes, I am, Alhamdulillah, well off financially and a sensitive individual who talked this over with my wife.
What are the general laws on polygamy? For example, can I marry a second wife who is not an Omani while in Oman?
Thanks for your help.
As salamu alaykum
i read your article its a good and informative article how ever it doesnt state anything like my own case….i am an omani citizen (woman) i married a foreginer (before the law which stated that omani citizens were not allowed to marry foriengers was declared) and my kids (who were born here) did not receive any benefits or the omani citizen…
Is there no law that states anything of this condidtion???
My brother has married a expatriate and his children, who were born outside of oman, recieved the citizenship…why is this..just because he is a man and i am a women…
as you know the story of Jesus, he had no father and was always known as Isa (Jesus), the son of the Mariam (Mary).
This clearly states that both a man and women should recieve equal rights to their children.
As long as there is one blood line connecting the childern isn’t that enough??!??!?!?!
Being a women yourself, you might understand the meaning of motherhood…a mother is one that carries the child for nine months and feeds and educates and forms her children’s charecters….a child always is closer to her mother…
It is known to everyone that the wife must follow her husband….however she must be independent and must have rights to her children..they are from HER..the child lives in the MOTHERS womb for nine months….
Please try and explain the above to me…i ahve always been frastrated with this point in our goverment….
The law clearly states that the children receive the citizenship of their father, not their mother. It is not fair, but it is the law.
Oman does not allow dual citizenship either, which is why they have this law.