The new Omani Nationality Law was published in this week’s issue of the Official Gazette which repeals the Omani Nationality Law of 2014 and lowers the requirements for obtaining Omani nationality.
The Government of the Sultanate of Oman is routinely criticised by the international community for discriminating between the treatment of Omani men and women as the law deprives Omani women of the ability to transmit nationality to their children if they marry to a foreigner. Unfortunately, the new law does not change this key principle for the transmission of Omani nationality only through the father, but it lowers the requirements for obtaining Omani nationality for all paths to nationality and creates a new quicker path for a foreign husband of an Omani woman to obtain Omani nationality.
Generally speaking, the Omani Nationality Law of 2025 retains the same structure and approach of the Omani Nationality Law of 2014 as it requires nationality to be granted by royal decree through an application made to the Ministry of Interior, and decisions made in this regard are not subject to review by any of the courts. The law also retains the same principle that dual nationality cannot be granted except as an exception by royal decree and does not provide any clarifications for the cases in which this exception would be granted.
The law retains the distinction between a holder of Omani nationality by origin and a person granted Omani nationality, which makes a difference in regard to cases in which Omani nationality can be revoked. Under the law of 2014, any person born to an Omani father is automatically deemed Omani by origin. The new Omani Nationality Law of 2025 makes the standard for being considered Omani by origin higher by giving it to third generation descendants of a nationalised Omani after these grandchildren reach the age of 50.
Other than the higher standard for who is considered an Omani by origin, the requirements for obtaining Omani nationality have been reduced as follows:
| Path to Nationality | General Requirements | Previous Residency Period Requirement | New Residency Period Requirement |
| Naturalisation | Speaks and writes Arabic, not convicted in a felony, has a source of income, renounces other nationality, etc. | 20 years of continuous residence. | 15 years of continuous residence. |
| Foreign husband of an Omani woman | Same requirements as naturalisation + must have a child from Omani wife. | This is a new path to nationality. | 10 years of continuous residence after marriage. |
| Foreign wife of an Omani man | Speaks Arabic, renounces other nationality + must have a child from Omani husband. | 10 years of continuous residence after marriage. | 8 years of continuous residence after marriage. |
| Foreign widow of an Omani man | Same conditions as foreign wife + must not be married to a non-Omani + must have a child from Omani husband. | 15 years of continuous residence. | 6 years of continuous residence after widowhood. |
| Foreign divorcee of an Omani man | Somewhat similar conditions as foreign widow + must have a child from Omani husband. | 15 years of continuous residence. | 8 years of continuous residence after marriage. |
| Minor child of an Omani woman | Omani woman must be widowed or divorced from the foreign father of her minor child. | 10 years of continuous residence of the minor child. | 5 years of continuous residence of the minor child. |
The meaning of continuous residence for all paths to nationality has also been loosened as the previous law considered being out of the country for more than 60 days in a year a violation of the continuous residence requirements. This period has now been extended to 90 days.
The law also has other provisions determining the treatment of foreign husbands and wives of Omanis who divorce their Omani partners after obtaining nationality, a new ground for revoking nationality from Omanis by origin for insulting the person of the Sultan, and other provisions.
You can read the new Omani Nationality Law in full in English on the link below: