Freehold Areas in Oman

• Integrated Tourism Complexes: the established freehold route since 2006
• Future cities: Sultan Haitham City with its own residency rule
• Approved developer projects licensed for foreign sale
• Status is checked per plot and unit, never assumed

What “freehold area” means in Oman

Oman does not open its whole territory to foreign ownership. It designates specific developments and zones in which non-Omanis may hold freehold title, and everything else stays Omani or GCC-owned or available only under usufruct. The designations fall into three families: integrated tourism complexes, licensed since 2006; future cities, of which Sultan Haitham City is the first; and approved developer projects, including the Sorouh housing schemes licensed for sale to foreigners.

Within a designated area the title a foreigner receives is the same registered, inheritable freehold an Omani holds. Outside it, no amount of marketing creates one. This page lists the areas, explains how each category works, and sets out how we verify status before you reserve.

Integrated tourism complexes

An integrated tourism complex is a masterplanned development licensed by the government to combine hotels, leisure and residential property, with freehold sale to any nationality as part of the licence. They are the backbone of the foreign-buyer market.

Future cities: Sultan Haitham City

Sultan Haitham City in Al Seeb is the first of Oman’s state-planned future cities and the only one with homes on sale today. Its residential neighbourhoods are sold freehold to all nationalities under a designated-zone framework parallel to the ITC licence, and it carries a residency rule of its own: eligibility to apply at 30% of the price paid, with family included above OMR 50,000. Neighbourhoods include Hay Al Wafa, Wadi Zaha, Yenaier, Sarooj Oasis, Hay Al Ahlam and Jood. See the city guide and Hay Al Wafa.

Approved developer projects

Beyond the ITCs and the new city, the Ministry licenses individual developer projects, including Sorouh housing schemes and mixed-use developments, for sale to foreigners on freehold title within the project. Madinat Al Irfan in Muscat, where Hassan Allam Properties announced a development in October 2026, is one of the newer designated locations. These projects are checked individually: the licence, the plots it covers and the units within them. See new launches.

Usufruct in approved buildings

Since the 2018 to 2021 regulations, foreigners may also acquire apartments in approved multi-storey buildings outside the freehold zones on a long-term usufruct basis: a registered right of use for a fixed term rather than ownership of the land. It widens choice in the city’s established districts, but the residency position differs from freehold and resale is to a narrower pool. See usufruct and long leases.

How to verify a unit’s status

1. Check the designationThe project’s licence or the zone designation, and the specific plot numbers it covers, at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning.
2. Check the unitFreehold and non-freehold buildings sit side by side in some districts; the unit itself must fall within the designated plots.
3. Check the agreementThe sale agreement states the tenure and the title to be issued; your lawyer confirms it before you sign.
4. Check the registerFor resales, the existing title deed shows tenure and any encumbrances.

We run all four on every purchase; see legal and transaction support.

What freehold allows

• Occupy, let and sell to any eligible buyer, subject to community rules
• Mortgage with Omani banks where products are available
• Pass the property to heirs; register a will governing Omani assets
• Support a residency application: the Owner Visa on registration, the 30% rule in Sultan Haitham City, Investor tiers by value
• Hold personally or through a company

Freehold areas compared for buyers

The established ITCs offer finished communities, deep resale and the Owner Visa on registration; Sultan Haitham City offers the lowest entry price and the earliest residency eligibility; the coastal masterplans at Yiti offer new-build at launch pricing with longer timelines. Our locations guide compares them in detail.

Explore the freehold communities

Where to Buy in Oman

The communities open to international buyers, from Muscat’s marina districts to the beach towns of Salalah, and what…

Explore

Sultan Haitham City

Oman’s first fully planned city, developed under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning on the western side of…

Explore

Al Mouj Muscat

Oman’s most established freehold community: a marina, a links golf course, beaches, cafés and a walkable waterfront,…

Explore

Jebel Sifah

A beach-and-marina resort town on the coast south of Muscat, where the Hajar mountains meet the sea: villas,…

Explore

Frequently asked questions

Page reviewed 2 November 2026. Availability, prices, payment terms and residency rules are confirmed in writing before you commit and may change.