Do you need a visa for Oman?

Oman's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says visitors from more than 100 countries are exempt from entry visas for stays of up to 14 days. The Royal Oman Police (ROP), which runs immigration, publishes the two lists on its visa-exemption page.

  • List 1: countries that can enter without a tourist visa. 80 countries: 44 in Europe, 10 in South America and 26 elsewhere. The list includes the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, China, Russia, Singapore, Malaysia and Brazil.
  • List 2: visa-free only with a valid visa from the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK, Japan or a Schengen country. 24 countries: Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Panama, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Kyrgyzstan, Honduras, Maldives, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Cuba, Vietnam, Morocco, Laos, Mexico, Jordan, Egypt, India, Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania.

Citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE need no visa. If your nationality is on neither list, you need a visa arranged before you fly.

Which conditions apply at the border?

The Foreign Ministry sets the same conditions for visa-free visitors:

  1. A passport valid for at least 6 months. Muscat Airport repeats this: to get a visa, a passport must be valid for more than 6 months.
  2. A return ticket, a confirmed hotel reservation and health insurance.
  3. Enough money to cover your stay. The ministry does not give a figure.

The 14 days cannot be extended or converted to a residence visa. Plan a longer trip around a visa from the start.

Visa-free or eVisa: which route fits your trip?

This table combines your nationality list, the 14-day limit and the documents you carry.

Your situation Route Before you fly
List 1 passport, stay of 14 days or less Visa-free Passport valid 6+ months, return ticket, hotel, insurance
List 2 passport with a valid US, Canadian, Australian, UK, Japanese or Schengen visa, 14 days or less Visa-free Same documents, plus that visa, still valid
List 2 passport without a qualifying visa eVisa Apply on the ROP eVisa portal
Any nationality, more than 14 days eVisa Apply before travel; the visa-free stay cannot be extended
Travelling for work or to join family Sponsored visa The Oman sponsor applies in advance
Neither list Visa in advance eVisa or an Omani embassy

Muscat Airport tells eVisa holders to keep their application reference number. On arrival, go to an immigration counter and show your passport and that number.

Worked examples

A British couple on a 10-day trip. The UK is on List 1, so no visa is needed. Each passport must have at least 6 months left on arrival. They should carry the return booking, the hotel confirmation and travel insurance documents.

An Indian traveller with a US B1/B2 visa valid for another two years, staying 12 days. India is on List 2 and the US visa qualifies, so they enter visa-free. If that US visa expires before the trip, they need an eVisa.

A German traveller planning 18 days in Oman. Germany is on List 1, but 18 days is more than the 14-day visa-free stay, and the ministry says that stay cannot be extended. The traveller applies for a visa on the ROP eVisa portal before flying. This guide could not open a current official tourist-visa fee table, so check the fee when you apply.

What must you declare at Oman customs?

The Directorate General of Customs lists these duty-free allowances:

Item Duty-free limit
Alcohol Non-Muslims only: up to 2 litres of wine and 48 cans of beer
Cigarettes Up to 400
Gifts Total value up to OMR 300
Electronics and household appliances Non-commercial quantities

You must declare cash of OMR 6,000 or more, or the same value in other currencies, bearer securities, precious metals or gemstones. Customs treats undeclared goods as smuggling under the GCC Common Customs Law. It says failing to declare cash breaks Oman's anti-money-laundering law.

What to do if something goes wrong

For arrival logistics, see Muscat Airport to the city centre. For driving, read renting a car and road rules in Oman.