We, Qaboos bin Said, the Sultan of Oman
after perusal of the Basic Statute of the State issued by Royal Decree 101/96,
the Land Law issued by Royal Decree 5/80 and its amendments,
the System for Government Land Entitlement issued by Royal Decree 81/84 and its amendments,
and Royal Decree 24/95 Amending the Provisions of Some Laws Concerning Land,
and in pursuance of public interest,
have decreed as follows
Article I
Paragraphs 1(b), (c), and (d) and 4 of the general conditions provided in the mentioned System for Government Land Entitlement are hereby amended as follows:
1. The Ministry of Housing, Electricity, and Water may, in accordance with the provisions of this system, give ownership of a residential plot of land to whoever applies for it, in accordance with the following conditions:
(b) That his age is not less than twenty-four Gregorian years, unless he proves that he is the sole provider for his family.
(c) That the lottery is withdrawn on the specified date.
(d) That the price is paid on the specified date.
4. Unless there is a reasonable excuse acceptable to the ministry, the application must be forfeited if the applicant does not withdraw the lottery on the specified date, or if three months have elapsed from the date of his withdrawal of the lottery and he has not completed the ownership procedures.
He may submit a new application after the lapse of two years from the forfeiture of the application.
Article II
First: The following phrase is hereby added to the beginning of paragraph 1 of the conditions for granting residential land provided in the mentioned System for Government Land Entitlement
1. That the land requested by the citizen must be in his region, governorate, or the region or governorate in which his workplace is located and…
Second: A new paragraph numbered 3 is hereby added to these conditions, the text of which is as follows:
3. It is prohibited for the person to whom the land is granted to dispose of it by sale, gift, or mortgage before the lapse of two years from the date of obtaining the mulkiya deed. This prohibition does not apply to the sale and gift to first and second-degree relatives, provided that they do not transfer the ownership to others until after the completion of the mentioned two-year period. The prohibition also does not apply to the mortgage in order to exploit the land for the purpose designated to it.
Article III
All that is contrary to this decree is hereby repealed.
Article IV
This decree must be published in the Official Gazette, and comes into force on the date of its publication.
Issued on: 20 Ramadan 1426
Corresponding to: 24 October 2005
Qaboos bin Said
Sultan of Oman
Published in Official Gazette 802 issued on 1 November 2005.