Residents outside Oman must renew their visas online

Muscat: Residents of Oman whose visas have expired, but are looking to return to the Sultanate, must first renew them online, and can come back once the airports reopen, a senior official from the Royal Oman Police (ROP) said.

This must be done by the sponsor of the resident, who must then send him the receipt that confirms that the visa has been renewed.

Major Mohammed bin Rashid Al Habsi, the Assistant Director of the Directorate General of Passports and Residence, speaking to national radio in Oman, said, “Among the facilities provided by the Royal Oman Police during the COVID-19 pandemic is the renewal of visas online, as this is an exceptional period that has caused difficulties for the business sector.

“The ROP has sought to provide these facilities, including the automatic extension of all visit visas to the country, since the services to get this done physically had been stopped from 19 March, until the centres opened once again on 1 July,” he added. “The condition of people being in the Sultanate to renew their visas has also been done away with.

This was confirmed by Major Mohammed Al Hashami from the ROP’s Public Relations department, who added: “To renew the residence cards of expats who are currently outside Oman, sponsors must first renew their residency electronically and then send them the renewal confirmation. Other facilities include extending the residency period of certain visas to six months, when they had been previously valid for three months.”


“Electronic services have become an important necessity for various organisations,” explained Major Mohammed bin Rashid Al Habsi. “The ROP has worked to provide electronic services in keeping with a specific approach, that has already been put into action across several services, such as sponsored and unsponsored tourists visas, land transit visas, entry visas for GCC residents, and multiple entry visas for businessmen.

“Among the services currently available are the renewal or extension of all kinds of visit visas and the renewal of visas of domestic workers, so that there is no need for applicants to undergo much hardship or trouble right now,” he said. “Services that require a person to be physically present for a visa application include a visa transfer between two companies in the Sultanate, applying for a family visit visas and family joining visas.

Mohannad bin Mohammed Bait Dashaishah, who is in-charge of the financial and administrative affairs of the Directorate General of Civil Status, added: “Regarding all requests of civil status, it is normally required for the person who has made the request to be physically present, but to reduce congestion at this time, all the departments of the directorate have been told to renew residence cards without the physical presence of the applicant.”