Oman has accepted 10 inmates from the US prison at Guantanamo Bay in advance of President Barack Obama leaving office, the country's foreign ministry announced.

There was no immediate word from the US defence department about the transfer.

Oman on Monday said it accepted the prisoners at Obama's request. It did not name the prisoners.

"To meet a request by the US government to assist in settling the issue of the detainees at Guantanamo, out of consideration of their humanitarian situation, 10 people released from that prison arrived in the Sultanate of Oman for a temporary residency," a foreign ministry statement said.

Days earlier, authorities said 19 of the remaining 55 prisoners at the US military base in Cuba were cleared for release and could be freed in the final days of Obama's presidency.

It was part of an effort by Obama to shrink the prison since he could not close it.

President-elect Donald Trump said during his campaign that he not only wants to keep Guantanamo open, but to "load it up with some bad dudes".