Muscat: Thirty expats in Oman have been granted citizenship, taking the total number of foreigners to be given Omani nationality this year to 226.
According to a Royal Decree issued by Oman’s Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik on Sunday, as many as 30 expats have been given the citizenship.
This is the third batch of expatriates to obtain citizenship in Oman since the beginning of this year. In March of this year, Sultan Haitham granted citizenship to 39 expatriates while in February, 157 expatriates living in the country obtained Omani citizenship.
There are certain criteria that must be met before expats are eligible for citizenship.
How to get Omani citizenship
- In order to obtain citizenship, expats must meet the requirements of the Omani Nationality Law including having lived in the country for more than 20 years.
- They have to submit an application that costs OMR600, while spouses or ex-spouses of Omani nationals have to pay OMR300, according to the country’s ministry of interior.
- Applicants will need to prove that they live and work in Oman, and that no legal cases have been filed against them. They will also need to provide a medical certificate to prove that they do not have a contagious disease.
- As per the Gulf News, article 16 of the law states: “Any who receive the Omani citizenship must visit the ministry to complete the procedures required for an Omani passport for him and underage children who will automatically receive it, within six months.”
- Expatriates who start this procedure must take an Arabic language test. The exam can be written, or it can be an interview in Arabic, at the ministry itself. Expatriates who fail the test can retake the test after six months have passed, although they have four chances to retake it.
New Omani citizens will not be able to spend more than six months outside the country on the move during the first ten years after obtaining citizenship, unless they obtain a permit from the ministry of interior.