You're planning to take a cruise in the United Arab Emirates or the Sultanate of Oman and surprise, surprise: you're going to have a stopover in Oman, of varying length. You're wondering: do you need to apply for a special visa? How does it work? Here are our answers.
What should I do if I'm in transit or have a stopover in Oman?
If you are in transit through Muscat airport, but are not leaving the airport, then you do not need a visa. However, if your transit lasts more than 72 hours, you can apply for a transit visa, with the help of the airline.
Things are rather different for passengers on cruise ships calling at Oman. If your stopover is short, i.e. if you are staying less than 48 hours in Oman, then you do not need to apply for a visa. Once you arrive at the port, all you need to do is pay the sum of around 12 € to the immigration authorities to allow you to enter the country during your stopover. However, if you are making several stopovers in Oman or staying for a short time, you will need to apply for a multiple-entry visa for Oman. This costs around 5o Omani rials (121 €) for this type of visa. Whatever the case, find out all you can beforehand to avoid any problems on arrival.
Applying for a visa for Oman
As a general rule, a visa is compulsory for anyone wishing to travel to Oman. You need to apply online, on the official website of the Sultanate of Oman. The country has not issued visas on arrival since March 2018.
The visa requires the visitor to enter the country within 30 days of the e-visa being issued. It is advisable to make arrangements around twenty days before your stopover in Oman.
You need to start by creating a personal account on the official website. Then you need to fill in your application, taking care not to make any mistakes or typing errors (particularly concerning your passport number).
If you're worried about filling in the application form incorrectly or making mistakes, why not use an agency? This agency will be responsible for obtaining your e-visa for Oman. Your application will be processed as soon as it is received. As a general rule, these agencies are very serious and will send you an e-mail at each stage of the process of obtaining your e-visa.. Once your application has been validated and approved by the Omani authorities, this agency will send you your e-visa by e-mail. All you have to do is print it out. There is a charge for this service, but it saves you a lot of hassle and time in obtaining your e-visa.
An agency service 