Oman Visa for GCC Residents in 2026: Visa-Free Entry, Visa on Arrival and eVisa by Passport

Do GCC Residents Need a Visa for Oman? (2026 Quick Answer by Passport)

UAE residents can get an Oman eVisa, or the same GCC Resident Visa on arrival, for 5 Omani rials (about 48 dirhams) if their profession is on Oman's approved list. It allows one entry and a four-week stay, extendable by a week, and residents of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain use the same route.

Citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates need no visa at all, according to Oman's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Some passports skip the visa entirely, through the ministry's two exemption groups. The first is unconditional: entry on the passport alone. The second is conditional, and works only for travellers who also hold residence or a valid entry visa for the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, a Schengen country or Japan, or who are resident in a GCC country in a profession that benefits from the resident visa.

By passport, as of October 2026:

• Indian passport — conditional group. Gulf residence in an approved profession, or residence or a visa for one of those six destinations, makes visa-free entry work. Otherwise the eVisa.
• Pakistani passport — on neither list. A visa is required whatever the residence card says.
• Philippine passport — still contested between two official Omani websites in mid-October 2026.
• GCC citizen passport — no visa.

Driving in? The road-trip section below lists the papers Dubai's transport authority asks residents to get for a Dubai-registered car.

The GCC Resident Route: Who Qualifies and What Documents Prove It

Oman's government service portal describes the GCC Resident Visa as a service for approved professionals residing in GCC countries and their companions. Two filters decide it: Gulf residence, and a profession Oman approves.

The visa codes that appear on official pages

The Royal Oman Police eVisa FAQ names type 29A, the GCC Resident Tourist Visa, for the main traveller with an approved profession, and 29B for the companion. The police list of visa types, checked on 14 October 2026, also shows type 26, a Tourist Visit Visa of 10 days, 14 days or one month for specified nationalities; the 26N label seen on blogs is not on it.

The same list settles the stay that media reports put at 14, 28 or 30 days: the GCC Resident Visa needs no sponsor and gives a single entry and four weeks in Oman, extendable for one week. Gov.om prices that extension at 5 Omani rials.

Documents and fee

The gov.om service page lists the requirements, checked in October 2026:

• Passport valid for at least six months
• Residency in a GCC country valid for at least three months
• Employment with an institution
• Personal photo
• Copy of the residence card
• Copy of the passport

The fee on that page is 5 Omani rials. Fees change, so we recommend confirming the amount at checkout on the eVisa portal. Three months of residence validity is the official rule, although according to Gulf News in May 2023 both permit and passport needed six; three months is the rule, six the safer margin.

The profession filter

We found no standalone Royal Oman Police list of approved occupations; the filter sits inside the eVisa application. According to Gulf News, in a guide updated on 31 July 2026, the eVisa platform lists 116 titles, from doctor, engineer and teacher to sales executive, mechanic, electrician and plain "employee", and the occupation printed on the Emirates ID is the one checked.

According to Gulf News in October 2022, GCC residents were not required to fly to Oman directly from their country of residence. Where a profession sits on the border, Visarun helps to resolve which route a passport and residence card qualify for; the approval decision stays with the Omani authorities.

Visa-Free Nationalities: Is Your Passport on the List

Where the exemption applies, the visitor may stay 14 days, and in the ministry's own words that period cannot be extended or transferred to any type of residence visa. The passport has to be valid for no less than six months.

Border formalities still apply: a return ticket, a confirmed hotel reservation, health insurance and sufficient funds. UK government travel advice lists the first three of these, and states that visitors can enter Oman for up to 14 days without a visa.

The list runs to more than 100 nationalities; published counts have shifted and Oman's two official pages do not match. According to The Peninsula in August 2026, the exemption covers over 100 countries and territories for 14 days, non-extendable. The police page splits its version into List No. 1, with 80 countries, and List No. 2, with 24 including India, conditioned on a valid visa from the six destinations named above.

The Philippines: two official pages, two answers

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs exemption page includes the Philippines in the first, unconditional group. The Royal Oman Police page lists 80 countries in List No. 1, and the Philippines is not among them.

Both are official. The ministry version matches Oman's announcement of 7 December 2025 that the Philippines would join the short-visit exemption list from 2026. The exemption is reflected by the foreign ministry, but not mirrored on the police portal, which still listed 80 countries without the Philippines on 14 October 2026.

For a Filipino traveller in Doha or Dubai as of October 2026, that means two checks before booking anything non-refundable: running the passport through the eVisa portal, and asking the airline whether it will board a Philippine passport to Muscat without a visa. Carriers are generally liable for passengers boarded without the right documents, according to IATA rules.

Visa on Arrival vs eVisa: Types, Fees and Validity

The eVisa system offers four types: unsponsored tourist, sponsored tourist, tourist visa for GCC residents, and express. Unsponsored and express visas each have to be used within one month of issue; a sponsored tourist visa has three months.

Fees published on Oman's government service pages, checked in October 2026:

• GCC resident tourist visa — 5 Omani rials, and 5 more for the one-week extension
• Sponsored tourist visa, 10 days — 5 Omani rials
• Sponsored tourist visa, 30 days — 20 Omani rials
• One-year multiple-entry visit visa — 50 Omani rials, for designated nationalities

The sponsored tourist visa is open to all nationalities, runs 30 days and is extendable for a similar period. That is the fallback for Gulf-based Pakistani passport holders and for residents whose profession is not approved.

The Dubai-Oman and Qatar-Oman joint visas are free if the traveller comes to Oman directly without entering another country in between, and both are paper applications rather than online.

On arrival: gov.om confirms the GCC resident visit visa is issued at Oman's entry points, and the police list gives it four weeks. According to Gulf News, updated July 2026, it costs 5 rials for 28 days on an Emirates ID and a passport valid six months; its May 2026 road-trip guide describes 14-day stamps at land borders. The stay printed on your visa is the one that applies.

The eVisa FAQ also states that paying for a visa does not guarantee that a visa will be issued.

Road Trips from the UAE: Hatta, Mezyad and Re-Entry Rules

Royal Oman Police tells road travellers to get the visa on the eVisa website first, then enter by any legal border post. According to Gulf News in May 2026, the crossings in use are Al Darah, Dibba, Khatmat Milaha, Hatta at Al Wajajah, and Mezyad, and the UAE exit fee is 35 dirhams.

For a Dubai-registered car, the RTA page updated on 6 October 2026 says residents need an Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE eNOC and an RTA tourism certificate, 120 dirhams and valid six months. If someone other than the owner drives, both apply in person with the driver's licence; a financed car needs the bank's eNOC.

According to the May 2026 Gulf News guide, the border asks for the Emirates ID, passport, driving licence, Mulkiya and insurance valid in Oman, plus the owner's notarised Arabic NOC for a borrowed car; the same guide says an Orange Card bought there is third-party only, about 106 dirhams for five days.

Common Problems: Day Trips, Re-Entry on the Same Visa, Refused Boarding

Does a day trip to the UAE end a single-entry Oman visa?

The police visa list calls the GCC Resident Visa single-entry, so leaving ends it. In a traveller report on Reddit on 14 October 2026, a UAE resident asked whether a U-turn at the UAE border would reset an expiring visa. We found no official Omani page on such a border run, so we do not advise one. The official way to stay longer is the one-week extension at 5 rials. The one-year multiple-entry visa, 50 rials with stays of up to a month each, is for designated nationalities and must be sought from outside Oman.

Refused boarding

The Philippine case is the live example: an airline's system can lag behind an official list. The eVisa FAQ recommends lodging an application at least four days before travel, as processing times vary.

Overstaying

Gov.om lists 10 Omani rials a day for an overstayed visit visa (page updated 13 October 2026); UK travel advice puts the maximum at 500 rials. A 14-day exemption cannot be extended.

Family, Dependants and Domestic Workers Travelling with You

Companions of the main GCC-resident traveller are handled by visa type 29B. Households of GCC citizens have their own route: the GCC Citizen Companion Visa, type 28, covers a citizen's domestic workers and his foreign wife, entering with the sponsor, the husband or a member of his family. It gives one entry and a month's stay, renewable for a month.

Gov.om sets the fee at 5 Omani rials and asks for a passport, photo, residence card and proof of kinship. The applicant must be outside Oman, hold no other valid visa and have GCC residence valid at least six months on entry.

No official fee exemption for children could be found, so we recommend confirming the amount per child on the eVisa portal.

Recent Changes (2025-2026)

• 13 October 2026: gov.om updated its departure-fines page, listing 10 Omani rials a day for an overstayed visit visa and 20 for a residence visa.
• 6 October 2026: Dubai's RTA updated its tourism-certificate page, which says UAE residents taking a Dubai-registered car to any GCC country need the certificate and an Automobile and Touring Club eNOC.
• 6 September 2026: GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi said the unified GCC tourist visa would launch soon, without a date, according to Nukta citing Khaleej Times. In November 2025 Saudi Arabia's tourism minister had named 2026, according to Gulf News.
• 3 August 2026: Royal Oman Police Decision No. 109/2026, published in Official Gazette No. 1659 the day before, created a free 14-day tourist visa for nationals of countries the authority designates; holders may switch before expiry to another tourist category at its fee. Oman Observer and Gulf News reported the fee as zero in August 2026. It is a different route from the 14-day exemption, and no country list had been published by 14 October 2026.
• 7 December 2025: the foreign ministry announced that the Philippines would join the short-visit exemption list from 2026. Its list includes the Philippines; the police list still did not on 14 October 2026. In November 2025 Khaleej Times quoted Oman's ambassador on two weeks, the Philippine Daily Inquirer the embassy in Muscat on 10 days; the 14-day figure matches the ministry list.

FAQ

Do I need a visa for Oman if I hold a UAE or Qatar residence permit?

The permit alone does not decide it. Nationals in Oman's conditional group, such as Indians, can use Gulf residence in an approved profession. Others apply for a visa, usually the 5-rial GCC Resident Visa if their profession is approved.

Can Indian passport holders enter Oman visa-free from Dubai in 2026?

India sits in the conditional group. Visa-free entry applies with GCC residence in an approved profession, or residence or a valid visa for the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, a Schengen country or Japan. Otherwise, the eVisa.

Can Filipinos enter Oman visa-free right now?

Oman's foreign ministry lists the Philippines in the unconditional 14-day group; the Royal Oman Police page does not. As of 14 October 2026 the two official sources still disagree, so we recommend checking the eVisa portal and the airline before booking.

Do Pakistani passport holders get an Oman visa on arrival?

Pakistan appears on neither exemption group, so a visa is needed. The sponsored tourist visa covers all nationalities, at 5 Omani rials for 10 days or 20 rials for 30 days as of October 2026.

How much does the Oman GCC resident visa cost?

Oman's government service page gives 5 Omani rials, checked in October 2026, plus 5 rials for a one-week extension. Fees change, so we recommend confirming the figure at checkout on the eVisa portal.

How long can I stay in Oman on the GCC resident visa?

Four weeks on a single entry, extendable for one week, according to the Royal Oman Police list of visa types checked in October 2026. Media reports have given 14, 28 and 30 days; the stay printed on your visa is the one that applies.

Is the new free 14-day visa the same as visa-free entry?

No. The exemption lets listed nationalities enter without applying for anything. The free 14-day visa under Decision No. 109/2026, in force from 3 August 2026, is a separate category, and its eligible-nationality list was still unpublished on 14 October 2026.

Can I re-enter Oman on the same visa after a day trip to the UAE?

Not on the GCC Resident Visa, which the police list describes as single-entry. We found no official rule on exiting and turning back at the border for a fresh visa, so we do not advise it. The one-year multiple-entry visit visa at 50 Omani rials suits repeat crossings, but only for designated nationalities.

What is checked at the Omani border for visa-free arrivals?

A return or onward ticket, a confirmed hotel reservation, health insurance and sufficient funds, per Oman's foreign ministry; UK government travel advice lists the ticket, the accommodation and the insurance.