Countries That Require a Visa For Oman

Are you thinking of taking a trip to Oman? If treks on camels, camping in the vast desert, and driving safaris appeal to you, then Oman is the perfect holiday destination. Oman gives you a true Arabic experience with plantations of frankincense, souks (marketplaces) representing long-gone worlds, modern cities, luxury hotels, and beautiful beaches. There is something for everyone who visits Oman.

Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is different from its neighbouring countries because of its complex history of interaction with the rest of the world. Omani traders once ruled the Arabian, travelling out of the ports of Muscat and Salalah to establish trading relationships with the Portuguese empire in Africa by establishing trading outposts as far as Mozambique and Zanzibar. They aligned with the British after slavery was abolished. This resulted in the conservative yet open Islamic society that is modern Oman. It is considered to be the most welcoming of all Arabic countries, helping tourists feel at home.

Before you plan a trip to Oman, you should know about its visa requirements so that you are fully prepared.

WHAT COUNTRIES DON’T REQUIRE A VISA FOR OMAN?

Any trip to Oman from another country requires applying for and obtaining a visa. Only six countries in the world are exempt from having to get a visa to enter Oman. Five of these countries are from the Gulf Cooperation Council or GCC:

United Arab Emirates

All residents of the United Arab Emirates, will not require a visa to enter into Oman. Foreign residents or expatriate residents of UAE may visit Oman with a special entry visa, valid for 4 weeks and extendable by one week. This only applies to residents from one of the professions listed here.

Qatar

All residents of the Qatar, will not require a visa to enter into Oman. Foreign residents or expatriate residents of Qatar may visit Oman with a special entry visa, valid for 4 weeks and extendable by one week. This only applies to residents from one of the professions listed here.

Kuwait

All residents of Kuwait, will not require a visa to enter into Oman. Foreign residents or expatriate residents of Kuwait may visit Oman with a special entry visa, valid for 4 weeks and extendable by one week. This only applies to residents from one of the professions listed here.

New Zealand.

Whilst people from GCC can stay in Oman indefinitely, people from New Zealand can stay up to three months. The only requirement for these tourists from these countries is a valid passport.

The same rule of ‘no visa required’ also applies to people who have official and diplomatic passports from Russia and South Korea. These nationalities can also stay for up to three months in Oman. The rule also applies to people from a few other countries, who, if they have a valid visa or an entrance stamp of the Emirate of Dubai, can stay for another 21 days in Oman.

Saudi Arabia

All residents of Saudi Arabia, will not require a visa to enter into Oman. Foreign residents or expatriate residents of Saudi may visit Oman with a special entry visa, valid for 4 weeks and extendable by one week. This only applies to residents from one of the professions listed here.

Bahrain

All residents of Bahrain, will not require a visa to enter into Oman. Foreign residents or expatriate residents of Bahrain may visit Oman with a special entry visa, valid for 4 weeks and extendable by one week. This only applies to residents from one of the professions listed here.

WHAT COUNTRIES REQUIRE A VISA FOR OMAN?

People from all other countries, apart from the ones just mentioned, need a valid visa to be able to visit Oman. You need to apply for an Oman eVisa, and you will get your e-visa within 3-4 working days, provided that you meet all their eligibility requirements. The process of applying for an e-visa is done online. You do not need to go to a visa office in person. The visa requirements are quite simple. You will need to provide some information as well as some supporting documents to apply for an Oman visa. People from all countries, including Europe, Canada, UK, US, and Australia need a visa for entry to Oman.

OMAN EVISA

Oman has now introduced an electronic visa for tourists. This allows you to easily apply online without visiting a visa office or an embassy. In the same time, countries like Mexico are simplifying the access to their counties by introducing a simple tourism tax for all visa-free nationals.

As of March 21st, visitors to Oman are no longer able to apply for a visa on arrival and must now apply for an electronic visa prior to travelling to Oman.

Please note, only a Citizens of the following 71 countries can apply for an eVisa.

VISA DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

The visa documents required are fairly painless. You can apply on arrival (if applicable from your country) at the nearest Oman consulate or embassy, or online on the Internet using the Royal Oman Police website. The documents that you need to apply for a visa to Oman are:

• A valid debit or credit card: As everything is done online, paying with cash is not available so you will need a valid credit or debit card.
• Passport: All visa applicants must have a passport that is valid for another six months from the day of arrival in Oman.
• Passport Scan: The scanned copies of the information pages of your passport will be required.
• Photo: A digital photo taken before no more than six months is required.
• Email Address: You will get all communication about the visa through your email only, so make sure that you have a valid and correct email ID.
• Valid Visa or a Residence Permit: Certain countries need a valid visa or residence permit that has been issued by the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and Australia.

An application form also needs to be filled in, and once you submit your application, your visa will arrive in a PDF format through email. You must take a printout of this email and carry it with you when you go to Oman.

TYPES OF VISA

CONDITIONAL VISA

There is also one other specific visa requirement that does not apply to everyone; that is the conditional visa. The citizens of the following countries need to possess a valid residence permit or visa issued by the Schengen area, UK, USA, Japan, Australia or Canada. Otherwise, they may not be eligible to apply for an Oman e-visa, and they would need to go to the nearest embassy to do so.

VISIT OMAN TODAY

As you can see, Oman visa rules are not so strict, and the application process is quite fast and straightforward. As long as you have all the necessary documents in place, you can get a visa and visit the beautiful country of Oman without much visa-related hassle. If you are thinking of travelling to Oman for a holiday, it’s never been easier to get a tourist visa. The visa application process is painless and