Can I own property in Oman?

A citizen of Oman living abroad: Yes. An Omani living abroad buys like any citizen. A foreign national: Yes, with conditions. Freehold in a licensed Integrated Tourism Complex under Royal Decree 12 of 2006, which also brings a residence permit for the owner and family; and, under Ministerial Decision 357 of 2020, a usufruct of up to 99 years on a flat in a multi-storey building in the designated parts of Muscat such as Bausher, Seeb and Al Amerat. No residency is needed to buy. The transfer fee for a foreign buyer is three percent.

Does the rent agreement need registering?

Every residential lease of any length.

Who withholds tax on the rent, and how much?

No withholding at source. Not yet. Oman has no personal income tax until 1 January 2028, when Royal Decree 56 of 2025 brings in five percent on an individual's income above OMR 42,000 a year; rent from Omani property counts for residents and non-residents alike from then.

How does the rent reach me in Malaysia?

Omani banks open accounts for residents with a civil ID; a non-resident owner usually receives rent through a property manager or a GCC bank. No capital controls and no exit tax. The rial is pegged to the US dollar; banks and exchange houses transfer abroad at their margin. No limit. Rent taxed abroad and brought home falls within the exemption.

Renting out property in Oman while living in Malaysia

Oman's rules for a landlord living in Malaysia: ownership, the rent agreement, who withholds tax, and how the rent reaches you.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and your situation may differ. Check the sources on this page and confirm with a lawyer or accountant in the country before you act.

Desk research Last reviewed 1 October 2026 Report an inaccuracy

The short answers

Can I own property in Oman?: A citizen of Oman living abroad: Yes. An Omani living abroad buys like any citizen.; A foreign national: Yes, with conditions. Freehold in a licensed Integrated Tourism Complex under Royal Decree 12 of 2006, which also brings a residence permit for the owner and family; and, under Ministerial Decision 357 of 2020, a usufruct of up to 99 years on a flat in a multi-storey building in the designated parts of Muscat such as Bausher, Seeb and Al Amerat. No residency is needed to buy. The transfer fee for a foreign buyer is three percent.
Does the rent agreement need registering?: Every residential lease of any length.
Who withholds tax on the rent, and how much?: No withholding at source. Not yet. Oman has no personal income tax until 1 January 2028, when Royal Decree 56 of 2025 brings in five percent on an individual's income above OMR 42,000 a year; rent from Omani property counts for residents and non-residents alike from then.
How does the rent reach me in Malaysia?: Omani banks open accounts for residents with a civil ID; a non-resident owner usually receives rent through a property manager or a GCC bank.; No capital controls and no exit tax. The rial is pegged to the US dollar; banks and exchange houses transfer abroad at their margin.; No limit. Rent taxed abroad and brought home falls within the exemption.

Renting out property in Oman

What applies because the property is in Oman, whoever owns it.

Who may own residential property

Who may own residential property, by audience
Citizens living in the country	Allowed Anywhere.
Residents of any nationality	With conditions A resident foreigner buys in the same places as any non-Omani; residency adds nothing to what may be owned. GCC nationals have wider rights.
Citizens living abroad	Allowed An Omani living abroad buys like any citizen.
Foreign nationals living abroad	With conditions Freehold in a licensed Integrated Tourism Complex under Royal Decree 12 of 2006, which also brings a residence permit for the owner and family; and, under Ministerial Decision 357 of 2020, a usufruct of up to 99 years on a flat in a multi-storey building in the designated parts of Muscat such as Bausher, Seeb and Al Amerat. No residency is needed to buy. The transfer fee for a foreign buyer is three percent.

Letting it out from abroad

May a non-resident owner let it: Yes, once lawfully owned. The lease must be registered, which a non-resident owner does through a representative or a licensed broker.
Licences, permits, landlord registration: None for a long-term let. Short-term letting falls under tourism licensing.
Local agent or representative: In practice yes. Municipal registration, cheque collection and the rental committee assume someone present with a civil ID.

The rent agreement

Written agreement required: Yes. Royal Decree 6 of 1989 and the municipal rules require a written lease, on the municipality's form, registered before the tenant moves in.
Mandatory standard form: The municipality's standard contract, in Arabic, with its mandatory clauses; the parties add their own terms in an annex.
Language: Arabic, with bilingual versions in common use; Arabic governs.
Registry: The municipality where the property sits, Muscat Municipality for the capital, online through the government services portal.
When registration is required: Every residential lease of any length.
Who registers: The landlord, with the title deed, the contract and both parties' civil IDs or passports; a representative can do it with a Power of Attorney.
Registration cost: A registration fee of three percent of the rent for the whole contract period, paid by the landlord at registration and in practice often passed to the tenant.
If it is not registered: A fine for an unregistered lease, and an unregistered contract is weak before the rental committee and is not VAT-exempt.
Stamp duty: None.
Notarisation and witnesses: Not applicable
E-signature: Recognised under the Electronic Transactions Law issued by Royal Decree 39 of 2025, which replaced the 2008 law and grades simple, advanced and qualified signatures; registration still happens on the municipal portal.
The usual term: One year, renewed automatically unless either side gives notice.

Rules the agreement must respect

Deposit: No statutory cap. One to two months' rent is usual, returned on handover less documented damage.
Rent increases: Not within the first three years of a tenancy, and then by no more than seven percent a year, under the 1989 decree as amended.
Notice periods: Three months before the end of the term, or half the term if shorter, for either side to decline renewal; otherwise the lease renews on the same terms.
Disputes: The Rental Disputes Committee at the municipality, with appeal to the courts; self-help eviction is unlawful.
Mandatory disclosures: Not applicable

Tax when the landlord lives abroad

Is the rent taxed here: Not yet. Oman has no personal income tax until 1 January 2028, when Royal Decree 56 of 2025 brings in five percent on an individual's income above OMR 42,000 a year; rent from Omani property counts for residents and non-residents alike from then.
Withholding at source: No
Withholding rate: Not applicable
Who withholds: Not applicable
What the tenant must register: Not applicable
How to reduce it: Not applicable
Filing and tax ID: None until 2028. From then an annual return with the Tax Authority where income passes the threshold; the regulations that say how a non-resident files are still being issued.
VAT or GST on rent: None on residential rent. Oman's five percent VAT exempts a residential lease that is registered and runs three months or more; a short or unregistered let can fall within VAT.
Municipal and housing fees: The three percent lease registration fee. No annual property tax.

Money inside the country

How tenants pay: Bank transfer or post-dated cheques in rials.
Currency of rent: OMR
Bank account for a non-resident owner: Omani banks open accounts for residents with a civil ID; a non-resident owner usually receives rent through a property manager or a GCC bank.
Paying rent to an overseas account: Allowed. Nothing in the law requires a local account, though cheques assume one.
Taking rent out of the country: No capital controls and no exit tax. The rial is pegged to the US dollar; banks and exchange houses transfer abroad at their margin.

Living in Malaysia

What Malaysia asks of its residents who own and let property abroad.

Owning property abroad from here

Buying abroad: Allowed. A resident may invest abroad freely from foreign-currency funds; investment from ringgit borrowings is capped by the foreign exchange notices.
Reporting foreign assets and accounts: None for an individual.
Tax at home on foreign rent: Exempt in practice. Malaysia taxes residents on foreign income only when remitted, and foreign-source income received by resident individuals is exempt by concession from 2022, extended to 2036, provided it was taxed where it arose.
Bringing rent home: No limit. Rent taxed abroad and brought home falls within the exemption.
Digital identity for e-signing: MyDigital ID is a government single sign-on, not a signing identity; a platform e-signature or a paper signature does the job abroad.

Sources

Oman Government Services Portal: register a lease contract — gov.om
Muscat Municipality: lease contract documentation — www.mm.gov.om
Oman Tax Authority: personal income tax questions and answers — tms.taxoman.gov.om
Oman Tax Authority: VAT questions and answers — tms.taxoman.gov.om
Oman Tax Authority: double tax agreements — tms.taxoman.gov.om
Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning — www.housing.gov.om
Central Bank of Oman: the foreign exchange market — www.cbo.gov.om
Ministry of Transport, Communications and IT: the Electronic Transactions Law — mtcit.gov.om
US Department of State: Oman investment climate statement — www.state.gov
Bank Negara Malaysia: repatriation of dividends, interest, rental, fees, commissions or profits — www.bnm.gov.my
Bank Negara Malaysia: foreign exchange policy notices — www.bnm.gov.my
Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (LHDN): individuals, including non-residents and stamp duty — www.hasil.gov.my
US Department of State: Malaysia investment climate statement (foreign ownership and exchange rules) — www.state.gov
Ministry of Finance: exemption of foreign-source income for resident taxpayers — www.mof.gov.my
MyDigital ID, the national digital identity — mydigitalid.my
Income Tax Department of India: the India–Malaysia tax treaty — www.incometaxindia.gov.in