Oman resumes issuance of work visas, tourist visas still on hold

Medical worker collects a swab sample from a passenger for a RT-PCR test at the Muscat international airport on Oct. 1, 2020. (AFP/File)

• Visa permits are valid for 15 months from the date of issuance
• Revenues of three to five-star hotels in the Sultanate fell 60.2 percent as of end-October

DUBAI: Individuals who have been cleared by Oman’s Ministry of Labor can now apply for work visas online, daily Times of Oman reported.
“Non-Omani workers and housemaid visas can be applied for electronically. Applications can be submitted either through the Royal Oman Police website, or through Sanad offices. At the moment, however, applications for tourism visas are still suspended,” the daily quoted an unnamed senior Royal Oman Police official.
Visa permits are valid for 15 months from the date of issuance, hence, those who received them but were unable to process their visa applications due to the COVID-19 pandemic can now do so, Times of Oman added.
As for those without a permit yet, “the ministry is working on providing permission to apply for work visas,” the daily quoted an official from the Ministry of Labor.
Meanwhile, revenues of three to five-star hotels in the Sultanate fell 60.2 percent as of end-October to $18.38 million from $46.2 million of the same period last year.
Hotel occupancy rate dropped by 53.9 percent in the first 10 months of 2020 to 646,841 guests, down from 1.4 million during the same time last year, Oman Times reported.