New conditions for granting govt lands to build homes

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning has released the new conditions required for granting government lands as per the annex attached to the Royal Decree 42/ 2021.

The conditions are as follows:

1- The Ministry may grant one government plot of land for residential purposes to the applicant as per the approved guidelines.

2- In order to grant government land for residential purposes, the following are required:

If the applicant is a man, he must have completed 23 years of age and is the only breadwinner for a family consisting of a wife and children or one of them, or for one of the parents, or a breadwinner for himself, provided that he is less than 40 forty years of age.

The land title deed is issued in the name of the two spouses if the man is the breadwinner of a family, and if the applicant is a woman.

If the applicant is a woman, she must be 23 years old and is the only breadwinner for her family, or married to a non-Omani and residing in the Sultanate permanently, or divorced, widowed, or deserted and has no children or support for herself, provided that she is 40 forty years of age.

3- The priority in granting residential government land will go to a family that does not own a house or residential land suitable for construction, and the granted land may not be sold except after the completion of construction, and in accordance with the regulations issued by a decision of the Minister of Housing and Urban Planning.

4- The ministry will not grant residential government land to a person who has previously been granted residential land prior to the implementation of the provisions of Royal Decree 42/ 2021.

5- The governmental residential land shall be granted in the applicant's wilayat or the place in which he is permanently employed, as the case may be.

The Director-General of Lands in the Ministry affirmed that these new rules will contribute to the stability of Omani families, reduce the waiting period for lands, especially for those who do not have a home or residential land that can be built, as well as stimulate the reconstruction and organization of residential communities, and access to organized cities and integrated services far from randomness. It will also have economic benefits.