This week’s issue of the Official Gazette included the full text of the new Law of the Real Estate Registry issued by Royal Decree 56/2026. This law replaces the previous Statute of the Real Estate Registry issued by Royal Decree 2/98, and it is part of the ongoing reform of the legal framework of real estate in Oman.
In 2025, the Law Regulating Real Estate was a major reform of the legal framework governing the real estate sector. This new Law of the Real Estate Registry updates the legal framework for the real estate registry, in other words, the way in which real estate is registered, to be aligned with the Law Regulating Real Estate that was issued last year.
One of the key features of the new law is the incorporation of the concept of a Preliminary Real Estate Registry for off-plan projects, allowing buyers to officially record their ownership and legal rights before a building is finished, which was already introduced by the Law Regulating Real Estate. Another update includes the option to request an English-language translation of your mulkiya, the formal recognition of temporary mulkiyas, and clear rules for registering real estate gifted to minors or seized by court order.
One of the more notable additions of the new law is that it allows the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning to outsource certain documentation functions relating to the Real Estate Registry to the private sector. The law does not provide a lot of details on the scope of this possible delegation.
Penalties for real estate fraud have also been dramatically increased. Previously, under the Statute of the Real Estate Registry, knowingly registering a false document to deprive someone of their real estate rights carried a tiny fine of just 200 Rial Omani. Now, that same offence carries a prison sentence of six months to three years, plus a fine ranging from 1,000 to 30,000 Rial Omani.
The Law of the Real Estate Registry enters into force today. You can read it in full in English on the link below: