Yes, you can buy property in Oman while living in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and you can complete most of it without relocating. What you can buy depends on your passport, not your UAE residence visa. GCC citizens have wider rights. Everyone else buys in designated areas, chiefly the Integrated Tourism Complexes (ITCs). Al Mouj Muscat and AIDA are two of them.
The steps below are in the order that prevents the common mistakes. The official sources behind them were last checked on 21 October 2026.
Why UAE residents are looking at Oman
Demand from the UAE jumped in 2026. Oman's Ministry of Housing said buyers from the UAE accounted for about a third of transactions in March, against an average of 12% in 2025, with Muscat their first choice and Sohar second, as reported by AGBI.
Access is part of it. The Al Batinah Expressway has run from the Muscat Expressway to the UAE border at Khatmat Malaha since 2018. Hafeet Rail, the 303 km line between Sohar and Abu Dhabi, was about 40% complete in April 2026. It is due to open around the end of the decade, and no date has been fixed.
The purchase, step by step
Step 1: Establish what your passport lets you own
A UAE residence visa is not an ownership category in Oman. If you are a UAE or other GCC citizen, Oman publishes a GCC-citizen ownership service, with property and location restrictions. If you hold any other passport, you need an eligible property. Royal Decree 12/2006 set up ownership in approved ITCs. The Ministry of Housing's list, issued again on 28 June 2026, adds four named districts, Sultan Haitham City among them.
Ask if the home comes with ownership or a usufruct right, and get the answer in writing. A "freehold" label in a brochure is not evidence.
Step 2: Shortlist homes and get an itemised quote in rials
Prices are set in Omani rials. Ask for a quotation showing the price, whether VAT is included, registration and other charges, the payment schedule and the service charge. The price table lists current starting prices with the date of each list, and the comparison tool puts projects side by side.
Step 3: Settle your funding before paying a deposit
Do not assume an Omani mortgage advertised to expatriates accepts a UAE salary. Take Bank Muscat's Baituna home loan. Its published criteria are written around types of employment and having your salary paid to the bank, and nothing in them says a person employed in the UAE qualifies. Ask the lender for a written assessment based on your nationality, residence status, UAE income and the specific property.
A developer's payment plan is not a mortgage. If a large balance falls due at handover, work out how you would pay it if the bank lent less than you expected. The payment plan calculator shows what is due and when.
Step 4: Reserve on written terms
The reservation form should record the exact unit, the price, who receives the deposit, the deadline and the refund conditions. If you need finance, negotiate that condition before you sign. A declined loan does not by itself make a deposit refundable.
Step 5: Review the sale and purchase agreement
Check the specification, parking, payment dates, completion obligations and what happens on default. On a resale, ask for the seller's mortgage release, the service-charge statement and any tenancy documents.
For off-plan, Royal Decree 79/2025 has units recorded in a preliminary register, and each phase of a project paying into its own escrow account. Request proof that your unit is registered and the escrow bank details for your phase. Escrow does not fix a handover date or make every payment refundable.
Step 6: Arrange a power of attorney if you will not attend
Under Oman's title-transfer service, a representative with a valid power of attorney can sign for the buyer or the seller. The Supreme Judiciary Council registers powers of attorney that were issued abroad. Agree the exact powers with your Omani lawyer before you sign anything in the UAE, and check the notarisation, attestation and translation requirements with the receiving authority. A lender may still want to meet you in person.
Step 7: Send funds carefully
Get the beneficiary's legal name, account details and payment reference in writing. Confirm any change of bank details through a contact you already trust. Ask your bank for a dated quote for the dirham amount needed so that the full rial sum arrives, and keep proof of the source of funds. Our bank account guide covers the banking side.
Step 8: Register the title and take handover
The official transfer has four parts: the documents are reviewed, both sides or their representatives sign, the fees are paid and the deed is issued. Keep the registered deed and receipts, then carry out the agreed inspection and key handover.
What it costs
For a home in a tourist complex, the ministry's published tariff is 3% of the property value, with four small fixed charges on top: OMR 5, OMR 25, OMR 10 and OMR 2. VAT of 5% generally applies to the first supply of a residential property, and a later qualifying residential resale is exempt. Homes approved for hotel or serviced-apartment use fall outside the residential definition, so confirm the unit's approved use.
| On an OMR 180,000 home | New home from a developer | Resale home |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry charge at 3% | OMR 5,400 | OMR 5,400 |
| Four fixed charges | OMR 42 | OMR 42 |
| VAT | OMR 9,000 if a taxable first supply at 5% | None on the sale itself |
| Priced separately | Legal work, any agreed brokerage, bank and valuation costs, transfer charges | The same, plus service-charge adjustments |
Illustration only, using the published charges for the tourist-complex ownership service and the Tax Authority's VAT guide for real estate. It is not a quotation.
Living in the UAE does not take an Omani property sale outside Oman's VAT rules. Property values and rents can fall as well as rise, and off-plan projects can be delayed.
Residency is a separate application
Buying does not grant residency automatically. Golden Residency is available from OMR 200,000 for a completed home in an ITC with a title deed issued, lasts 10 years and is renewable. Off-plan buyers can apply for a property visa of 6 to 12 months, renewable until the unit is registered, under Royal Oman Police Decision 87/2026. Owners of a registered unit can apply for Property Owner Residency.
If residency is essential to your plan, establish the route and the evidence required before you commit. Start with the residency guide.
The bottom line
- Your passport, not your UAE visa, decides what you can own in Oman.
- Non-GCC nationals buy in designated areas such as Integrated Tourism Complexes. Get the title type in writing.
- Budget 3% of the value plus fixed charges, and 5% VAT if it is a first sale from a developer.
- Get a lender's written decision on your UAE income before paying a deposit that depends on a loan.
- You can complete through a registered power of attorney. Residency is a separate application.
What to check before you reserve
- Written confirmation that a buyer with your passport can own the specific home, and on what title.
- An itemised cost sheet in rials, including VAT treatment.
- The refund terms for your deposit, including if finance is declined.
- For off-plan, the preliminary registration and the escrow account for your phase.
- Which residency route applies, if you need one.
Frequently asked questions
Does a UAE residence visa let me buy anywhere in Oman?
No. Holding a UAE residence visa does not give you a GCC citizen's rights. If your passport is from outside the GCC, you need a home in an area open to foreign buyers, for example an approved ITC.
Can I get an Omani mortgage on a UAE salary?
That depends on the lender accepting where you live, what you earn in the UAE and the property itself. Get a written assessment before you commit to payments that depend on a loan.
Can I complete the purchase without travelling to Oman?
In principle, yes. A representative can sign under a valid power of attorney, including one issued abroad once it is registered in Oman. Agree the powers and check what the authority will accept first. A bank may have its own rules for opening an account.
