Oman Announces a 10-Day Tourist e-Visa for Only 13 Dollars

The Sultanate of Oman has decided to relax its visa legislation. It now offers a 10-day visa for only 5 Omani Riyals (13 Dollars), whereas there was an only visa costing 20 Riyals – the equivalent of 52 dollars – for journeys lasting one day up to one month in the past.

Border opening measures have multiplied lately

This announcement is not the first of its kind in the recent times. The authorities have also extended the list of countries which don’t need to have an Omani sponsor to get an entry visa. Major powers such as China, Russia, Iran, and most recently India, have been added to the list alongside 68 other countries such as Australia, Canada, the USA or the Schengen States.

The Royal Oman Police made other statements, for instance to inform the closure of all its offices issuing visas at airports, borders or consular departments. A single and simple online procedure has been implemented instead, in order to avoid unnecessary queues at visa desks, the government said.

A part of a global strategy to boost the tourism sector

These step-by-step measures are part of a broader strategy which aims to open the territory to mass tourism, in order to diversify the country’s economy, to create 500,000 jobs and to increase investment in the sector by 2040.

And the choice of new citizenships on the list is not insignificant, since the Sultanate hopes to attract nearly 11,7 million visitors in 2040, to 3.3 million currently. They represent a very important tourist pool with their large emerging middle classes, which is very attracted by the Gulf countries. These new measures also reinforce the attractiveness of Oman in the Gulf region itself. Indeed, many Emirati tourists, or foreign tourists visiting the Emirates, are crossing the border for a 2-day trip.