Omani officials dismiss media reports, say no change in tourist visa policy

Royal Oman Police has issued a clarification on the status quo of entry visa issuances, refuting media reports.

Officials confirmed that there were no changes to the current policies of granting visas at the border, but encouraged visitors to apply for eVisas prior to travel to save time and money.

A statement regarding an article published in one of the English newspapers in a neighboring country addressing some changes in the Omani entry visas. pic.twitter.com/GpmcROxZOp

— شرطة عُمان السلطانية (@RoyalOmanPolice) November 14, 2019

The clarification came after several reports in the media – including in the UAE – reported that visas will no longer be issued at the border, based on a tweet.

On October 25, Oman police had requested visitors to obtain eVisas prior to travel to facilitate efficient border processing.

“Visa on arrival are now an exception to the rule and eVisas should be used wherever possible” – read Royal Oman Police’s tweet in part.

#ROP kindly requests all visitors requiring visas traveling to #Oman to obtain their eVisas online before travel. This will facilitate easy and efficient processing at the border posts. Visa on arrival are now an exception to the rule and eVisas should be used wherever possible

— شرطة عُمان السلطانية (@RoyalOmanPolice) October 25, 2019

Currently many visitors from the UAE travel to Oman via the land border and get their visas at the checkpost.

According to Royal Oman Police’s website, a 10-day unsponsored tourist eVisa requires visitors to upload a passport copy and a digital photograph and pay OMR5 (Dhs48).