Oman visa-free entry rules have been amended as of this week, applying to members of the GCC – of which the UAE is one.

Oman’s airports authority confirmed that all GCC residents have the right to enter the Sultanate for commercial professions.

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.

So the rules apply to expats living in Dubai just as much as they do Emirati citizens.

The new circular from the Directorate General of Passports and Residence regarding the visa of residents of GCC countries stated:

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 the country of residence. For example, a resident of any GCC country is not required to arrive directly from that GCC country to avail 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.

Oman visa-free entry: The rules apply to Dubai residents

Members of the GCC in full:

Bahrain
Kuwait
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates