Muscat: The Royal Oman Police (ROP) has clarified about visa on arrival for tourists entering the Sultanate by road.

In a statement issued online on Wednesday, ROP said tourists must obtain an e-visa before travel. “This will facilitate easy and efficient processing at the border posts.”

According to the ROP, visa on arrival is now an exception to the rule and has also advised travellers to use eVisas.Currently, expatriates (and relatives accompanying them) residing in the GCC can avail tourist visas without a sponsor.The visa is valid for a period of four weeks and extendable for a week, Visa fees are RO5.

Work e-visa
Meanwhile, ROP is also planning to launch the e-work visa for employees in Oman. And as part of that a nationwide awareness campaign has been launched to educate businesses on the benefits of registering their workers through their e-visa system.

The campaign is being carried out in collaboration with the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), and has so far been spread to seven wilayats, with Khasab, the administrative capital of the Musandam Governorate, being the latest. The others are Sur, Ibra, Nizwa, Salalah, Rustaq and Muscat.

In preparation to activate e-visa, ROP has intensified its campaigns and workshops to highlight the new system to companies in a number of wilayats,” added the office. “The work e-visa system has been developed by the ROP to keep up with the e-government’s vision. It seeks to provide a vision different from the traditional visa system.”

How to apply for e-visa
There is no need for those who apply for the e-visa to visit service outlets at the Directorate General of Passports and Residence. To sign up for an e-visa, visit www.evisa.rop.gov.om