Can foreigners buy property in Sultan Haitham City?

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Can foreigners buy property in Sultan Haitham City now?

Yes. Foreigners can currently buy residential property in Sultan Haitham City, and some projects clearly offer freehold ownership to non-Omanis.

The cleanest proof comes from Oman’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning. Its official page for Hai Al Wafa says the neighbourhood offers freehold ownership to Omanis and non-Omanis. Hai Al Wafa is a large project too: about one million square metres and 1,800 homes across apartments, townhouses, attached villas and standalone villas.

So this has moved well beyond a future policy promise. Foreign buyers can already access real inventory inside Sultan Haitham City.

The part that still needs care is the phrase “Sultan Haitham City freehold.” We have clear proof for specific projects, but that does not mean every home, plot and neighbourhood anywhere inside the 14.8 million-square-metre master plan automatically carries the same ownership rights.

For a foreign buyer today, the practical answer is yes, with one condition: the exact project and unit must be approved for non-Omani ownership.

What a buyer may hear	What we can actually confirm	Our view
“Foreigners cannot buy in Sultan Haitham City”	Hai Al Wafa officially offers freehold to non-Omanis	Outdated
“Foreigners can buy there”	Confirmed in approved projects	Correct
“The whole city is foreign freehold”	No citywide rule makes every project and unit automatically foreign freehold	Too broad
“Foreign buyers only get apartments”	Hai Al Wafa includes villas, townhouses and apartments	Incorrect
“Foreign ownership is still theoretical”	Projects are selling and several are under construction	Clearly outdated

Why has the answer about foreign ownership in Sultan Haitham City been so confusing?

Foreign ownership in Sultan Haitham City looks confusing because Oman has changed the way it opens residential property to international buyers, while older 99-year usufruct descriptions are still circulating online.

For years, the easiest rule to remember was that foreigners could own property mainly inside Integrated Tourism Complexes such as Al Mouj Muscat. Royal Decree 12/2006 created that well-known route.

Sultan Haitham City arrived through a newer model. When Oman first presented its future cities programme, Housing and Urban Planning Minister Khalfan Al Shuaili said foreigners would be able to obtain 99-year usufruct rights in those cities. Sultan Haitham City was one of them.

That older statement still appears in articles, property websites and search results. Yet the Ministry now describes Hai Al Wafa using a much stronger term: “freehold ownership” for Omanis and non-Omanis.

Both pieces of evidence are real, but they come from different stages of the market. Current project documentation is much more useful to a buyer than a broad statement made when the future-city programme was still being set up.

This is why a three-year-old article should not determine the title on a unit being sold today.

Is the whole of Sultan Haitham City freehold for foreigners?

No. There is strong evidence of foreign freehold inside Sultan Haitham City, but not enough to call the entire city one unrestricted foreign-freehold zone.

Hai Al Wafa is straightforward because the Ministry explicitly says non-Omanis can obtain freehold ownership there.

Other projects are described differently. The Ministry presents Sarooj Oasis as a large gated community with apartments and villas, while Wadi Zaha, Al Ahlam, Hai Al Nuha, Jood and Yenaier Residence all appear in the official Sultan Haitham City project portfolio. Their public pages do not all repeat the same explicit sentence about freehold ownership for non-Omanis.

That difference is important. Sultan Haitham City contains multiple developers, neighbourhoods, phases and thousands of individual units. A foreign-ownership approval can apply at project level without turning every square metre inside the master plan into unrestricted freehold property.

The safest shortcut is simple: treat foreign ownership as confirmed only when the documentation for the actual development says so.

Sultan Haitham City project	Approximate scale shown by official sources	Foreign ownership wording on the public Ministry material	What we would assume
Hai Al Wafa	1,800 homes	Freehold for Omanis and non-Omanis	Confirmed
Sarooj Oasis	350+ homes	Ownership opportunities are promoted, but wording differs	Check the unit
Wadi Zaha	Large mixed-use residential project	Foreign investors are actively being sold units	Check exact title
Hai Al Nuha	113 residential units	No equally explicit blanket freehold wording on public page	Check the unit
Al Ahlam	47 villas	No equally explicit blanket freehold wording on public page	Check the unit
Jood	7,746 homes planned	Large-scale project, but public project description alone does not settle each buyer’s title	Check the release

Can foreigners buy villas in Sultan Haitham City, or only apartments?

Yes. Foreign ownership in Sultan Haitham City can include villas and townhouses, so this is clearly broader than an apartment-only offer.

Hai Al Wafa gives us the best example because the same official Ministry page does two useful things: it says non-Omanis can buy freehold, and it lists standalone villas, attached villas, townhouses and apartments among the project’s 1,800 homes.

That removes a common ambiguity.

The wider city is also heavily weighted toward family housing. Wadi Zaha includes villas and townhouses alongside apartments. Al Ahlam consists of standalone villas. Jood is planned with thousands of homes across villas and apartment buildings.

A buyer still has to check the foreign-ownership status of the exact unit, but there is no basis today for saying that foreigners in Sultan Haitham City are confined to flats.

Can someone living abroad buy in Sultan Haitham City?

Yes, a buyer does not appear to need to be an existing Omani resident before buying every foreign-eligible property in Sultan Haitham City.

The wording at Hai Al Wafa is again useful. The Ministry says ownership is available to “Omanis and non-Omanis.” It does not limit that statement to expatriates who already hold Omani residence cards.

That fits the wider direction of the project. Sultan Haitham City is being promoted both as a place to live and as an investment destination, and developers are openly marketing units to international buyers.

Some project pages use words such as “residents” rather than “non-Omanis,” and developers can have their own sales procedures. So this is one of those points worth getting in writing.

A foreign buyer living in London, Paris, Dubai or Bangkok should ask the developer to confirm nationality eligibility before paying a reservation fee. Living outside Oman is not, by itself, a reason to assume Sultan Haitham City is closed to you.

Are foreign buyers actually purchasing Sultan Haitham City homes now?

Yes. Sultan Haitham City already has an active property market, and the most recent sales evidence shows buyers are committing well before the city is fully finished.

Wadi Zaha is one of the clearest examples. Al Ahly Sabbour reported that the project exceeded its 2025 sales target, with 540 units sold out of 950. Construction of the first phase is now underway, and the developer has since released its final residential building.

That progression tells us more than another launch announcement would. Sales came first, construction followed, and the remaining residential stock has now narrowed enough for the developer to describe the latest building as its final residential release.

Hai Al Wafa is closer to occupation. Oman Observer reported that the district was preparing to receive residents as surrounding roads and infrastructure moved toward readiness.

Meanwhile, the Ministry’s current escrow-account register lists Sultan Haitham City projects including Al Ahlam, Yenaier Residence, Hai Al Wafa, Wadi Zaha and Sarooj Oasis with named banks and project escrow accounts.

Sales, construction and formal escrow infrastructure are all there now. Calling Sultan Haitham City a purely speculative concept is hard to defend.

Current evidence	What we see	Why it is useful
Wadi Zaha sales	540 of 950 units reported sold after beating the project’s sales target	Shows real buyer demand
Wadi Zaha construction	Phase One construction underway	Sales are converting into physical work
Final residential release	Latest residential building has been launched	Inventory has progressed beyond the initial sales phase
Hai Al Wafa	Preparing for first residents	One district is moving from construction toward occupation
Ministry escrow register	Several SHC projects now have listed project escrow accounts	Confirms a formal off-plan sales structure

Is Sultan Haitham City still basically a construction site?

For now, Sultan Haitham City is still a developing city, but calling it merely a construction site is already too dismissive.

The master plan is enormous: roughly 14.8 million square metres, around 20,000 planned homes and a long-term population of about 100,000 people. Nobody should expect that scale of city to feel mature after only a few years.

The useful question is whether execution is keeping pace with property sales.

The latest detailed progress report put overall infrastructure completion at roughly 40%, with around 70% of infrastructure tenders already awarded. Site preparation had reached 100%, while roads, utilities, bridges, sewer networks and electricity infrastructure were all moving through construction.

There is also a clear difference between early plans and what exists now. Roads beside Hai Al Wafa have been moving toward readiness, residential construction is active in several neighbourhoods, the city has opened its Experience and Sales Centre, and the first residents are being prepared for.

Buyers today are still taking development risk. They are simply taking much less “will this city ever exist?” risk than buyers faced at launch.

Does buying in Sultan Haitham City now give a foreigner Omani residency?

Buying an eligible Sultan Haitham City property can now support an Omani owner-residence application, including in some cases before the final title registration is complete.

This is one of the biggest recent changes for foreign buyers.

Royal Oman Police Decision 87/2026 changed the residence rules so that a foreign purchaser can qualify on the basis of a registered property or, importantly, a property whose registration has not yet been completed when the competent authority issues the required certificate.

That is particularly relevant in Sultan Haitham City because much of the available stock is off-plan.

The decision also allows owner-linked status for a spouse and first-degree relatives under the applicable rules. If the owner later transfers the property, the property-linked residence can end as well.

What this does not mean is that any booking form automatically comes with a visa. The property has to fall within the eligible regime, and the authorities still require the proper certification.

Is the “pay 30% and get residency” claim in Sultan Haitham City real?

Yes, the 30% residency claim is currently being used for real Sultan Haitham City projects, but buyers should understand exactly what that percentage represents.

Wadi Zaha is the strongest recent example. Al Ahly Sabbour says foreign investors can apply for Omani residency once at least 30% of the unit value has been paid, subject to the applicable rules.

This matches the broader change in Oman’s residence system, which now allows a property buyer to apply even before final registration where the competent authority certifies the purchase.

However, the Royal Oman Police decision itself does not simply say that paying 30% for any property anywhere in Oman guarantees residence. The 30% threshold is being applied through qualifying project procedures.

That distinction matters when a salesperson compresses the whole process into one sentence.

We would ask the developer to show, in writing, when the Ministry or other competent authority issues the certificate needed for the residence application. If the answer is “after 30% has been paid,” the buyer then has something concrete to rely on.

Claim	What current evidence supports	What remains conditional
“Off-plan buyers can qualify”	Yes	Proper certification is required
“30% is enough at Wadi Zaha”	Developer currently says yes	Application remains subject to Omani rules
“Any 30% payment gives residence”	No universal rule supports that claim	Depends on qualifying property and procedure
“Family can be included”	Residence rules provide routes for spouse and first-degree relatives	Normal application conditions still apply

Is Sultan Haitham City property residency the same as Oman Golden Residency?

No. Sultan Haitham City property-owner residence and Oman’s Golden Residency are separate routes, and buyers should not let property marketing blur the two.

A foreigner buying an eligible home can potentially obtain an owner residence linked to that property.

Oman’s Golden Residency is a different investment programme with its own qualification rules and substantially higher investment thresholds.

This distinction becomes especially important with relatively affordable Sultan Haitham City units. A buyer may qualify for a property-linked residence without making the much larger investment associated with the Golden Residency programme.

When an advertisement simply says “residency included,” ask which residence category it means, how long that status lasts, how it is renewed and whether continued ownership is required.

Did Oman recently open every property in Muscat to foreigners?

No. Oman has made foreign property ownership easier in selected developments, but foreigners still cannot assume they can buy any normal house or plot anywhere in Muscat.

Oman’s newer real-estate framework has made off-plan development more structured. Royal Decree 79/2025 introduced a preliminary real-estate register for off-plan units, formalised project escrow accounts and requires approved off-plan sale contracts.

The same law still operates alongside existing restrictions on non-Omani land and property ownership.

Sultan Haitham City matters precisely because it sits inside a government-backed development model where foreign participation is permitted. The existence of foreign freehold there does not make an unrelated villa elsewhere in Muscat automatically available to an overseas buyer.

That geographical distinction is one of the most important things to understand about Omani residential property today.

How safe is buying off-plan in Sultan Haitham City now?

Off-plan buying in Sultan Haitham City now has a much clearer legal framework, although construction and developer risk obviously still exist.

The recent real-estate law makes several protections easy to understand.

Off-plan units must enter a preliminary real-estate register, and legal transactions involving those units have to be recorded there. Developers need approved off-plan sale contracts. Project payments go through dedicated escrow accounts, and withdrawals are tied to the project rather than functioning like a normal developer bank account.

The Ministry has also published a current list of project escrow accounts. Several Sultan Haitham City developments appear on it, including Hai Al Wafa, Wadi Zaha, Sarooj Oasis, Al Ahlam and Yenaier Residence.

This does not turn an unfinished home into a risk-free purchase. Buyers can still face construction delays, neighbourhood delays, financing issues or differences between expected and completed amenities.

But the regulatory picture today is much stronger than a simple reservation contract and a promise from a developer.

What we would check before paying	Why
Developer and project approval	Confirms the project is operating within the Ministry framework
Approved off-plan sale contract	Avoids relying on an informal agreement
Preliminary registration	Creates a formal record of the purchased unit
Named project escrow account	Confirms where buyer payments should go
Construction-linked payment schedule	Reduces exposure to paying too far ahead
Foreign ownership approval for the unit	Confirms the buyer can actually receive the promised title

Can a foreigner buy an empty plot anywhere in Sultan Haitham City?

We would not assume so. The current evidence is much stronger for foreign ownership of homes inside approved developments than for foreigners freely choosing undeveloped land anywhere across Sultan Haitham City.

This is another place where the city name can create false confidence.

Hai Al Wafa gives us explicit permission for non-Omanis to own its residential products. Other neighbourhoods are being developed through specific agreements between the government and private developers.

That structure does not automatically give a foreign individual the right to pick an unrelated vacant plot elsewhere in the master plan and register it personally.

Anyone being offered “land in Sultan Haitham City” should therefore ask for the plot number, the legal ownership route and written confirmation that a non-Omani buyer can register that particular land.

Without those documents, the fact that nearby apartments or villas are foreign freehold proves very little.

Is there a fixed foreign-buyer quota across Sultan Haitham City?

We could not verify one universal foreign-buyer percentage that applies across every Sultan Haitham City development, so buyers should be careful with claims such as “foreigners can only own 25% of the project.”

Oman has used foreign-ownership limits in integrated residential developments. Ministry reporting on the wider residential-neighbourhood programme has referred to 25% availability for non-Omanis in some contexts.

But that is not enough to establish a permanent 25% rule across every Sultan Haitham City project.

The Ministry can structure developments differently, and Hai Al Wafa’s public page simply says freehold is available to Omanis and non-Omanis without presenting that sentence as a citywide quota rule.

For a buyer, the useful number is the foreign allocation for the actual project and phase being sold today. A generic percentage copied from another Omani housing programme may be irrelevant.

What should a foreign buyer check before buying in Sultan Haitham City?

A foreign buyer should ask one question before almost everything else: “What exactly will be registered in my name for this specific unit?”

That question cuts through most of the confusion.

The developer should be able to show that the project is approved for the buyer’s nationality and explain whether the unit carries freehold ownership or another form of tenure. If it is off-plan, the buyer should know the approved contract, preliminary-registration process and exact escrow account before sending money.

Residency deserves a separate check. A buyer relying on the 30% route should ask at what payment milestone the competent authority issues the certificate used for the residence application. “You get residency” is too vague.

We would also read the service-charge provisions carefully. Sultan Haitham City is being designed around managed neighbourhoods, parks, shared facilities and common infrastructure. The purchase price is therefore only one part of the long-term cost.

Finally, buyers should separate what is already built from what remains on the master plan. A park, school, retail area or road that is planned can still be valuable, but it should not be priced mentally as though it were operating today.

So, can foreigners really buy property in Sultan Haitham City?

Yes. Foreigners can buy property in Sultan Haitham City today, and the evidence is now strong enough that we can say this without much hesitation.

Hai Al Wafa gives us direct Ministry confirmation of freehold ownership for non-Omanis. It includes apartments, townhouses and villas, so foreign access is clearly wider than one narrow property type.

The broader market is also becoming much more real. Wadi Zaha has sold hundreds of units and moved into construction. Several Sultan Haitham City projects now appear on the Ministry’s published escrow-account list. Hai Al Wafa is moving toward occupation, while infrastructure across the city continues to advance.

Foreign buyers also have a more useful residence route than they did before. Current rules can accommodate owners whose final property registration is still incomplete, and qualifying Sultan Haitham City projects are already advertising residence applications after a 30% payment milestone.

Where we would push back is on the blanket phrase “Sultan Haitham City is 100% foreign freehold.” Freehold for foreigners is definitely available inside the city, but ownership conditions still need to be checked project by project and unit by unit.

For someone asking the original question today, the answer is a clear yes. The remaining work is choosing a qualifying property and making sure the contract actually gives the foreign buyer the title, registration and residency rights being advertised.

Who is the author of this content?

SANDS OF WEALTH

A team specialized in real estate investing in MENA countries (Morocco, UAE, Oman, etc.)

We are a team of financial experts, legal professionals, developers, and local real estate specialists dedicated to helping people like you avoid mistakes when investing in real estate in a foreign place, particularly in Muscat. If you’d like to learn more about us, you can check our presentation page.