Free entry to Oman with conditions for 27 out of 103 countries

Muscat: Citizens from 27 out of 103 countries exempted from visa for 10 days to enter Oman, can avail of this facility only if they have Schengen visa in their passport, or have entry visas to USA, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada or Japan, as per information shared with Oman’s local media.

The 27 countries listed for this purpose are India, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Costa Rica, Kyrgyzstan, Nicaragua, Armenia, Panama, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkmenistan, Honduras, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Laos, Albania, Bhutan, Peru, Salvador, Mexico, Vietnam, Cuba and Maldives.

Other mandatory requirements to be ensured for entry to the Sultanate include passport validity of not less than six months, and sufficient bank balance to meet the expenses while in Oman. The non-extendable free entry is valid for 10 days, the stay beyond which will have to be procured through proper procedures. Inability to do so will fetch a fine of RO 10 per day.

The rule also applies to citizens of the 27 countries staying in the GCC either on resident or visit visas. If the visitor from the exempted country is accompanied by spouse and children from other nationalities not in the exempted list, they too get exemption of visa for 10 days.

In a landmark move, Oman has approved free entry for citizens from 103 countries for a non-extendable period of 10 days. The move has been hailed by media and travel/tourism industry from around the world.