24/05/2025
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24/05/2025
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He cited the 2018 law prohibiting ownership for non-Omanis during the COVID-19 pandemic. “This law included some border sites and islands, and limited ownership on Masirah Island, despite the Kuwaitis’ interest in it. Ownership permits were limited to sites close to royal palaces and military and security sites. There is flexibility in areas close to old neighborhoods and alleys,” he clarified. He emphasized that since assuming office in 2020, he has been tasked with implementing this law and he implemented it on time, appreciating the understanding of Gulf brothers for some of the resulting discontent.
He said the ownership ban law only affects five percent of Oman’s total land area, as ownership remains available in 95 percent of the land, including Salalah, Muscat and Sohar. He indicated that confusion exists in a very limited number of plots, not exceeding 1,000, located within a narrow border strip. He added that the Madinat Sultan Haitham project has witnessed ownership by more than 35 nationalities, with flexible and speedy procedures. “Once a residential unit is purchased from an off-plan real estate developer, the buyer receives approval in less than five days, demonstrating the ease of the process. He confirmed that 70 percent of the land supposedly owned by Omanis has been completed, with the remainder being very small. “Over the past two years, this issue has been addressed innovatively.
Gulf citizens who own a company registered in Oman can own property in the commercial, industrial and tourism sectors; even in areas covered by the law, as long as this is done through a company registered with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. This has allowed developers and investors to preserve their properties,” he disclosed. On the projects, Al-Shuaili cited Al-Jabal Al- Aali project; stating that he is not permitted to own property there due to the privacy of the Green Mountain and some of the historical events that took place there during the 1950s and 1960s. “However, the project is now witnessing a new wave of ownership, with a strong focus on citizens of Gulf countries,” he confirmed.
On the other hand, Dean of Kuwaiti Journalism and Editor-in-Chief of Arab Times and Al- Seyassah newspapers Ahmed Al-Jarallah said that in 1970, he met with Sultan Qaboos in Oman, when there were no hotels. He lived at the time in a camp belonging to an Italian oil company. He added that Sultan Qaboos told him about his dreams for the coming period, including the opera project, and praised the country, its beauty and its tranquility, emphasizing that it is a country devoid of noise. Addressing the Minister of Housing, he stated, “Allow me to say that the marketing is bad, and the prevailing impression is that ownership is prohibited. There are Kuwaitis who owned property, and then they were asked to leave.” He stressed that Oman is a beautiful country in terms of its environment and location, and if Gulf citizens do not come, foreigners will. “What matters is marketing,” he asserted.
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff
