BANGKOK, 27 February 2018: Once the new Muscat International Airport opens, 20 March, all travellers will need to apply in advance for an online tourist visa to board flights to the Oman capital.
At present, visitors can apply for a visa-on-arrival at Muscat’s gateway airport, but that provision ends at midnight 19th March.
The move will impact on thousands of travellers daily who in the past visited Oman for a holiday break and were granted a visa at the airport.
Oman Air issued the latest information on visa applications, last week, confirming that only travellers holding electronic visas would be allowed to enter the country at immigration checkpoints at the new airport.
Electronic visas, approved and issued through the Oman Police online service, provide a visitor with an email confirming the immigration approval number for a 15-day stay.
Travellers must go online and register on the official website and obtain a password to start the process. See: http://evisa.rop.gov.om
Effective 20 March, entry will only be possible with a valid, previously applied for visa. The cost of a one-time tourist visa with a maximum stay of up to 30 days is 20 Omani Rials (USD52).
Tour operators and airlines will need to clarify in advance that all of their passengers heading for Muscat have a visa issued in advance by a Oman consulate for entry into Oman or through the online service.
There are online travel services that act as middlemen in the process. In addition to the visa fee they charge an additional service fee of USD40.
