Oman tourist visa: visa-free entry and the ROP eVisa

Oman's Foreign Ministry divides the visa-exempt countries into two groups. Citizens of the first group, which includes the EU states, the UK, the US, Canada, Russia and many others, may stay up to 14 days without a visa. Citizens of the second group, such as Egypt, India, Jordan, Morocco and Azerbaijan, get the same 14 days only if they hold residence or a valid visa for the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, Japan or the Schengen area, or live in a GCC state in an eligible profession.

Every visa-free visitor needs a passport valid for six months, a return ticket, a confirmed hotel reservation, health insurance and enough money for the stay. The 14 days cannot be extended or converted into a residence visa. GCC citizens need no visa at all.

Nationals of ROP's Group 1 list can apply for a 10-day visa (subtype 26A) or a 30-day visa (26B). Citizens of other allowed nationalities qualify for the same 10- or 30-day visas (26N and 26M) if they hold a valid Schengen visa or a valid visa for the US, UK, Canada, Australia or Japan; for Moroccan nationals only a Schengen visa issued in Morocco counts.

Citizens of Türkiye, South Korea, Brunei, Kazakhstan and Russia have their own 30-day subtype (26D) with no fee. Frequent visitors can take the one-year multiple-entry Tourist Visit Visa (36B for Group 1 nationals, 36M for holders of the listed Western visas), which allows stays of up to 30 days each time. A sponsored tourist visa (6A or 6B) is also available when a hotel or other Omani sponsor files for you.

ROP charges OMR 5 for the 10-day Tourist Visit Visa and OMR 20 for the 30-day version; the sponsored tourist visa costs the same. The one-year multiple-entry visa costs OMR 50. The 30-day subtype for Turkish, South Korean, Bruneian, Kazakh and Russian citizens has no fee, and the Dubai and Oman common visa for eligible Dubai visitors is also free.

Fees are paid online during the eVisa application. If you stay longer than allowed, ROP fines visitors OMR 10 for each day of overstay.

Single-entry tourist visas must be used within one month of approval, and the passport must have six months of validity on entry. You must be outside Oman when you apply and may not hold another current Omani visa.

The 10- and 30-day visas for Group 1 nationals can be extended by the same length as the original visa: the first extension can be requested by the visitor online, later extensions only at a passports and civil status office. The free 30-day subtype 26D cannot be extended, and neither can the one-year multiple-entry visa or the 14-day visa-free stay.

A visa does not guarantee entry: the ROP officer at the port of entry decides. Travellers on 30-day visas and visa-free visitors are expected to show a hotel booking and a return ticket, so have both printed or on your phone.

Do not plan to look for work on a tourist visa. ROP does not allow tourist visit visas to be switched to a work visa inside the country; an employer has to obtain a work permit and a new employment visa while you are abroad.