Visa Update: Oman Announced Visa-Free Entry for GCC Nationals

According to a guideline issued by the Oman Airport on Wednesday to airlines and ground handling companies, the visa rules for all GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) national and residence visa holders have been relaxed.

The officials of Oman airports authority confirmed that all GCC residents have now the right to enter the Sultanate visa-free for commercial professions.

Oman Visa-Free Entry for GCC Nationals

“The decision is based on the directives received by Oman Airports from the Directorate General of Passports & Residence regarding the visa of residents in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC), a statement from Saud Nasser al Said al Hubaishi,” vice president, Muscat International Airport.

It marks a change in entry rules – and opens the door to greater cooperation between states in the region. Crucially the Oman visa-free entry rules specify that you don’t have to come from the GCC nation concerned, just that you have to be a resident.

As a result, the rules apply equally to expats living in GCC countries as they do to Emirati citizens.

According to the new circular from the Directorate General of Passports and Residence regarding visas for residents of GCC countries:

All residents of the GCC countries have the right to enter the Sultanate of Oman for all commercial professions.
It is not required for people to come from their country of residence. For example, a resident of any GCC country is not required to arrive directly from that GCC country to avail of this facility. It is permitted at any time and from any destination they arrive from.
For the application of what is stated in items 1 and 2 above, it is required that the residence visa be valid in the GCC for a period of no less than three months.
The above-mentioned procedures referred to are applied, taking into account the importance of following the policy of granting visas to restricted nationalities.

It is worth mentioning here that prior to the new visa rules, eligible GCC residents had to apply for an e-visa through the official government portal before their travel to Oman.

GCC Countries

The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council, is a regional, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising.