In 2017, Oman relaxed its visa rules to attract more tourists by granting Visa on arrival (unsponsored tourist visa) for the Citizens of India, China and Russia who reside in or who hold an entry visa to one of these countries – United States of America, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom and Schengen States to enter the Sultanate of Oman.
To further facilitate the process, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) has announced that effective 21 March 2018, visas will only be granted electronically via https://evisa.rop.gov.om and there will be no more hand-processed visas at the airport effective that date.
Royal Oman Police, Sultanate of Oman said, “The migration to electronic visas is due to its simplicity and effectiveness, its alignment with modern technology and is in line with the e-government project of the Sultanate. Further, it will save tourists and visitors time so they don’t have to wait in long queues at the airport. The system has been thoroughly tested and more than 12,000 users have already benefited from it. The system is considered to be one of the safest and most confidential in the world, having achieved an ISO certification.”
The new e-visa system, coinciding with the opening of the new Muscat International Airport, supports the Oman Tourism Strategy in attracting more tourists and tourism investment into the country, whereby the number of tourists to Oman in 2040 will reach over 11 million by 2040.
