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Check the free 14 day entry before you pay for anything

Most Indian travellers assume they must buy something before flying to Muscat, but that is not always the case. Oman grants visa free entry for 14 days to nationals of more than 100 countries, and India is one of them. So the first question about an Oman visa for Indians is not which one to buy, it is whether you need to buy one at all.

A separate free visa arrived in August 2026. The Inspector General of Police and Customs created a new free 14 day tourist visa by decision 109/2026, published in Official Gazette No. 1659 on 2 August 2026 and in force from the next day. It is worth understanding that this is a different thing from the visa free entry described above, even though press coverage often mixes the two. The exemption cannot be converted into anything else. This new visa can be swapped for a paid tourist visa before it expires. It goes to nationals of countries the competent authority designates, and no list has been published yet.

India sits in the conditional group. Oman splits the exempt countries into two lists, and the first holds 73 countries whose nationals simply turn up. India is in the second list of 30 conditional countries, alongside Egypt, Jordan, Vietnam and Morocco, so an extra test applies.

The condition itself. An Indian passport holder gets the 14 day free entry only if they hold a valid entry visa for the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan, or certain European countries. Residency in one of those countries counts as well. The other qualifying route is residency in a GCC state in one of Oman's approved professions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs entry visa page sets out both lists.

What the free entry will not do. The 14 days cannot be extended or turned into any residence visa, and you cannot work during it. Stay beyond the 14 days and the fine is 10 Omani rials for every extra day. Your spouse and children get the same facility while travelling with you, even on a different passport.

The two routes to an Oman visa for Indians

If you do not qualify for free entry, two paths are open. The first is the unsponsored eVisa, which you apply for yourself on the Royal Oman Police portal. The second is a sponsored visa, where a company, hotel or tour operator inside Oman applies on your behalf.

The unsponsored route carries the same condition. Every tourist eVisa the ROP offers an Indian passport holder still requires a valid entry visa or residency from one of the countries listed above. There is no unconditional tourist eVisa for an Indian passport on the portal today.

The sponsored route covers everyone else. With none of those visas and no GCC residency, an Oman based sponsor must apply for you. The ROP lists a sponsored Tourist Visa, a Family Visit Visa, and a Business Visit Visa for professionals invited by a local company.

Tourist eVisa fees and length of stay

The fees for an Oman visa for Indians come straight from the ROP eligibility wizard, quoted in Omani rials to three decimal places.

The 10 day visa, code 26N. It costs 5 Omani rials, allows a single entry, and permits a stay of 10 days.

The 30 day visa, code 26M. This costs 20 Omani rials and also allows a single entry. The stay is one month, and an extension of the same length is permitted.

The one year multiple entry visa, code 36M. The fee is 50 Omani rials. It stays valid a full year and each visit can last one month, but the stay cannot be extended.

Family members of a holder. A spouse or child travelling with someone on a 26N or 26M pays 5 rials for 10 days under code 26E, or 20 rials for 30 days under code 26F.

Every unsponsored visa must be used within one month of issue, and overstaying costs 10 rials a day.

The exact document checklist

The paperwork behind an Oman visa for Indians is short, but each item has a specific rule sitting behind it.

Passport validity. Your passport must be valid for at least six months on the day you enter Oman, not six months from the day you apply.

A photo and a passport copy. Upload a clear digital photo and the bio data page of your passport. The portal caps each file at 512 KB.

A copy of the qualifying visa. This is the document that decides the application, and it must still be valid on the day you enter Oman.

A confirmed hotel booking. The ROP conditions state plainly that you must hold a valid hotel booking inside Oman.

A return ticket. This is written into the entry conditions as a requirement, not offered as a suggestion.

Health insurance. Insurance is required on the 14 day free entry route, along with enough money to cover your stay.

Your location when applying. You must be outside Oman, and must not already hold another current Oman visa.

How long the eVisa takes to come through

The Royal Oman Police does not publish a fixed processing time. Its official eVisa FAQ says an application is processed in the shortest possible time, then recommends lodging it at least four days before travel because times vary between applications. Approved visas arrive by email at the address you registered.

One line in that FAQ is worth reading twice: paying for a visa does not guarantee that a visa will be issued. Holding one does not guarantee entry either, since the officer at the port of entry decides.

If you live in the UAE, Saudi Arabia or another GCC state

Indian residents of the Gulf have their own category, and it is the cheapest available. This is the busiest version of the Oman visa for Indian citizens, because so many Indians drive or fly in from Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The GCC Resident Visa, code 29A. It costs 5 Omani rials, allows a stay of four weeks, and needs no Omani sponsor.

Your residency must have six months left. You need at least six months of residency remaining in your GCC country on the day you enter Oman.

Your profession must be on the approved list. Oman publishes a list of accepted occupations, and this visa is granted only to residents holding one, so check your job title on the portal before paying.

Extensions. You can extend the stay once yourself, by one week. Any extension after that means visiting a Directorate General of Passports office in person.

Travelling with a GCC citizen. A resident of the UAE, Bahrain or Qatar accompanied by a GCC citizen enters free on code 28B for 30 days.

Coming to Oman for business or for work

A visit visa is fine for meetings, site visits and conferences, but not for paid work. Oman treats the Business Visit Visa as a sponsored category, so a local company applies for you. If your business here becomes regular, most Indian firms set up a legal presence through company formation services in the Sultanate of Oman, with the filings that follow handled through PRO services in Oman.

The employment route is separate again. The ROP states that a tourist visa cannot be changed into a work visa while you are inside Oman.

Your employer applies, not you. An Employment Visa needs an approved Omani sponsor. The core document is the original labour permit issued by the ministry, and certain professions need approval from the relevant regulator.

The numbers. A standard Employment Visa with a commercial sponsor costs 20 Omani rials. It grants two years of residency, is renewable every two years, and must be used within three months of issue.

The rules that bite later. Applicants must be at least 21 years old. Late renewal or failure to register the residence permit costs 20 rials a month, and residency is cancelled if you remain outside Oman for longer than six months.

Medical certificate. A medical fitness certificate endorsed by Oman's Ministry of Health is required for certain nationalities, and Indian applicants should expect to provide one.

Our guide on how to get a work visa in Oman covers the employer side. Once you hold residency, the Oman family visa sponsorship process and the residency types in Oman matter next.

Mistakes that cost Indian travellers money

Applying from inside Oman. Every unsponsored visa requires you to be outside the country when you apply, and applications from inside are rejected.

Assuming single entry covers several trips. The 26N and 26M each allow one entry. Return trips need a fresh visa, or the 36M instead.

Letting the qualifying visa lapse. It must still be valid on the day you enter Oman, not merely when you applied.

Counting passport validity from the wrong date. The six months runs from your date of entry, which trips up travellers booking months ahead.

Ignoring the overstay fine. At 10 rials a day, one forgotten week costs 70 rials plus legal procedures.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an Indian get a visa on arrival in Oman?

Not as a general rule. Indians fall in the conditional second list, so the 14 days of free entry apply only if you hold a valid visa or residency for one of the qualifying countries, or GCC residency in an approved profession. Otherwise, arrange a visa before you travel.

How much is the cheapest Oman visa for Indians?

Five Omani rials. That buys either the 10 day tourist eVisa under code 26N, or the 28 day GCC Resident Visa under code 29A if you live in the Gulf. The 30 day tourist eVisa costs 20 rials.

How early should I apply?

The Royal Oman Police recommends applying at least four days before you travel. Processing times vary between applications, so leave more room if your dates are fixed.

Can I extend my stay in Oman?

It depends on the visa. The 30 day tourist eVisa can be extended for the same length again, and the GCC Resident Visa can be extended once by one week before a passport office visit is needed. The 14 day free entry and the one year multiple entry visa cannot be extended at all.

Can I look for a job while on an Oman tourist visa?

You can attend interviews, but you cannot work, and you cannot convert a tourist visa into a work visa inside Oman. Your employer must sponsor an Employment Visa, which normally means leaving and re-entering on it.

Getting the paperwork right the first time

Every rule above comes from the Royal Oman Police eVisa portal and Oman's official foreign ministry guidance. The rules covering an Oman visa for Indians do change, sometimes with little notice, so confirm the fee and conditions on the portal before you pay. City Squares is an authorised agent of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, and our Muscat team handles sponsored visit visas, employment visas and residency files for Indian staff and partners.