The Persian Gulf Residency (Arabic: المقيمية السياسية البريطانية في الخليج الفارسي[citation needed]) was a subdivision of the British Empire from 1822 until 1971, whereby the United Kingdom maintained varying degrees of political and economic control over several states in the Persian Gulf, including what is today known as the United Arab Emirates (formerly called the "Trucial States") and at various times southern portions of Iran, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.

In return, the East India Company was permitted to establish a trading post in the coastal city of Bandar Abbas, which became their principal port in the Persian Gulf.

Until the appointment of Charles Alison as Minister in Tehran in 1860, the envoy and his staff were, with rare exceptions, almost exclusively recruited from the East India Company.

This threat generated a British military expedition in 1819, which crushed the Qawasim confederation and resulted in ratification of the General Maritime Treaty on 5 January 1820.

The ruler of Bahrain as well as sheikhs along the northern coast of Oman pledged to maintain peace between their tribes and Britain and accepted clauses prohibiting slavery and cruel treatment of prisoners.

Articles 6 and 10 authorized the British Residency in the Persian Gulf to act as maritime police to administer the treaty's conditions and resolve tribal disputes.

This treaty marked Britain's shift from commercial to strategic priorities and formed the diplomatic pillar of British authority in the Trucial States.

For example, according to agreements concluded in February 1922, the Trucial sheikhs pledged themselves not to allow the exploitation of oil resources in their territories except by "persons appointed by the British government".

Instead of reflecting higher demand for oil (Britain then had adequate supply), this ultimatum was designed to block other parties out of the economic and political affairs of the Trucial States.

Extraterritorial jurisdiction was originally applied to all resident classes in Persian Gulf states, but was later limited to British subjects, Commonwealth nationals and non-Muslim foreigners.

"[8] In the correspondence of the Persian Gulf Residency, archived at the India Office Records and digitised by the Qatar Digital Library, many regional figures are mentioned, including: