Can you get an Oman Visa at the Border?
Oman is a sultanate in the Middle East, situated on the southeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf. Its surrounding countries are Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It also shares maritime borders with Iran and Pakistan.
The country has a broad and diverse range of topographical features. There are valleys between rugged mountain ranges in the north and south, and vast plains of gravel desert laced by wadis with large pools of water are in the centre of Oman. The main cities of Oman are lined up along the coastline of the country. The capital and largest city of Oman is Muscat, the spoken and official language is Arabic, and the majority of Oman’s population belongs to the (Sunni) Muslim religion. Oman, because of its variety, is a dream destination for tourists from all over the world. There is something for every type of traveler, from mountains to beaches to deserts to the most modern of cities. If you are planning to go to Oman, you need to find out about the visa requirements first.
Can you get an Oman Visa at the Border?
A visa on arrival was possible for citizens of over 60 countries, either at the border post or at the airport, until February 2018. Now, if you want to go for a spontaneous holiday to Oman, you can not get a Visa at the border – it will require more planning, because the Royal Oman Police announced new visa rules that came into effect from February 2018. Travellers wanting to visit Oman will now have to apply in advance for a tourist visa online through a system known as the e-visa. Even express visas will need to be applied for online at the same website.
Documentation for Visa
When you are applying online for a visa to Oman, you will need to get some documents ready beforehand. Here is what you should have before you apply for the e-visa:
Passport: You should have a passport that is valid for at least six months from the intended date of arrival at Oman. You might have your visa denied if you don’t have this validity on your passport.
Passport Scan: Take a scan of the information pages of your passport to send with the e-visa application. These pages often include the first and last pages of your passport.
Digital Photo: Make sure you have a digital photo of yourself taken in the last six months that meets all the photo requirements of an Oman visa. Ideally, 70% of the photograph should be your face, and it should be the picture of your face from the front. You should not be wearing any headgear in the photograph. However any religious headgear is allowed, but it should not cover your face. The background should be plain, preferably white.
Email Address: You will need a valid e-mail address when applying for a visa to Oman because your visa will be sent to you via email only in PDF format. From there, you can download the PDF file and take a print of your visa.
Payment Methods: You will need to make an online payment to pay for your visa fees. Payment can be made in several ways, including a debit or credit card, PayPal, etc.
How to Get an E-Visa
To get an e-visa, do the following steps:
- Go to www.omanevisa.co.uk.
- Enter your travel details as per the fields in the form.
- Attach all necessary documents as instructed on the site.
- Pay the visa fees via a card or PayPal account using the secure e-payment portal.
- You will receive an e-visa approval note via email.
- Take a printout of the e-visa approval note and present it to the passport staff when you arrive in Oman.
Processing Time and Fees for Oman E-Visa
The cost of an Oman e-visa is dependent on two factors: how fast you would like to get your visa and the Government fees. Usually, you will get three options:
Standard Processing: The visa processing time takes around 72 hours.
Rush Processing: You will receive the e-visa within 48 hours, and the fees are slightly higher.
Super Rush Processing: This is the fastest option, where you will get the Oman visa in 12 hours, but it is also the costliest.
So, if you are not in a hurry, standard processing is the way to go.
Special Cases
It is important to note that all citizens coming from nationalities of United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, or Australia need to have a valid visa or residence permit issued by these countries. Otherwise, these people will not be able to apply for an Oman e-visa. Ensure that you have this requirement met if you are coming from one of these countries.
Application Form for E-Visa
The application form is convenient and easy to complete. It will not take too much time and effort to understand. There are usually three stages of completing your e-visa application:
- First, you need to fill all the blank fields with your personal details and details about your trip to Oman and select the type of visa and the processing time you want. The more urgent you want it, the more you will need to pay.
- Then, you need to check the details you filled and make the fee payment online.
- Finally, you will need to upload all the necessary documents.
The online process of applying for an e-visa is quite easy and works well. Since the authorities have stopped the process of applying for a visa on the spot at the border or at the airport, you must remember to apply for the e-visa online if you want to visit the beautiful country of Oman. The short processing time is convenient, and once you receive your e-visa in the email, you are ready to plan that getaway that you always wanted.
