Thirty nine expats in Oman granted citizenship, taking the total number of foreigners to be given Omani nationality this year to 196.
According to a Royal Decree issued by Oman’s Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik on Sunday, as many as 39 expats have been given the citizenship.
In February, Sultan Haitham granted citizenship of some 157 expats living in the country.
There are certain criteria that must be met before expats become eligible for citizenship.
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Expats who are looking to get Omani citizenship and obtain an Omani passport will have to file an application that costs OMR600, while the spouses or previous spouses of Omani citizens will need to pay OMR300, according to the Ministry of Interior.
Applicants will need to prove that they live and work in Oman, and that they have not had any legal cases brought against them. They will also need to present a medical certificate to prove that they do not have communicable diseases.
Executive regulation 92/2019 released by the ministry stated that the application for Omani citizenship will cost OMR600, while the application for an expat wife, widow, or divorcee of an Omani citizen will cost OMR300, as does the citizenship for an underage child of an Omani woman.
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Applying to give up Omani citizenship or to have it returned will cost OMR200, according to the law.
According to the law, “The foreigner must present the following documents when applying for the citizenship: A copy of the passport with a valid visa, a copy of the personal identification card or similar identification, a copy of a valid residency card, a copy of the marriage certificate if he is married, as well as copies of the wife’s passport and that of any children. If married to an Omani woman, a copy must be presented of his certificate for marriage of a foreigner, a certificate of good conduct from Oman and another from the country from which he comes, a valid medical certificate proving that he is fit and free of transmittable diseases, an income document from his employer, a certificate from the embassy of his country proving that he is allowed to forfeit his original passport, a written proof of intent to forfeit his current passport, a written declaration at the ministry that includes the names of all his underage children and their documents.”
Anyone who gains Omani citizenship must report to the ministry to receive an Omani passport, and must remain a long-term resident of Oman.
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.”
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The expats who begin this procedure will have to undergo an Arabic language exam. The exam can be written, or it can be an interview in Arabic, at the ministry itself. Expats who fail the exam can repeat it once six months have passed, although they have four chances to repeat it.
The new citizens of Oman will not be able to spend six months outside the country at once during the ten years after they gain their citizenships, unless they receive a permit from the Ministry of Interior.
People can apply for Omani citizenship at the Sultanate’s Ministry of Interior.