Issue · October 2026 · everything a nomad needs, city by city

Nomadzine

The visa · Oman

Oman

Oman has no visa expressly for remote workers as of September 2026; the routes a nomad actually uses are the 14-day visa-free entry, the Royal Oman Police tourist e-visas (10 days, one month, or a one-year multiple-entry permit limited to 30 days per visit) and, for the wealthy, the Golden Residency programme relaunched in August 2025. Personal income tax does not exist until 1 January 2028, when a 5 per cent tax above OMR 42,000 begins for anyone present 183 days in a year. The one thing to know before planning a long stay: no tourist category permits work, none of them converts into residence, and the widely advertised Self-Employment and Remote Work Visa cannot be found on any Omani government page.

    Nomad visa · September 2026None as suchRoutes5Bases1

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The routes

Researched 9 September 2026 · rules as of September 2026 · as published, not legal advice

  1. Temporary stay

    One-year multiple-entry tourist visa

    Tourist Visit Visa (Unsponsored), one year – تأشيرة زيارة سياحية لمدة سنة

    Remote workers from the nationalities the Royal Oman Police designates who want to come and go from Oman over a year, spending up to a month at a time.

    Income floor
    none published; the Gov.om service page asks only for a passport copy and a digital photograph
    Duration
    Valid one year with multiple entries; each stay may not exceed one month; the visa must be used within one month of approval; the stay cannot be extended (per the honorary consulate in Istanbul)
    Cost
    OMR 50 (Gov.om service page)
    Processing
    Gov.om lists a service time of about seven minutes once submitted; travel-industry guidance is to apply at least four days before travel
    Eligibility
    Nationals of countries specified by the competent authority; passport valid at least six months; applicant must be outside Oman and hold no other valid Omani visa
    Work rights
    A tourist category; no work rights are granted and the published rules do not address remote work for a foreign employer
    Dependants
    Each traveller applies separately; no dependant provision is published
    Leads to
    no – tourist stays do not count toward residence and the Foreign Ministry states tourist stays cannot be transferred to a residence visa
    Apply
    Online only, through the Royal Oman Police e-visa portal, from outside Oman

    Documents Passport copy (six months validity) · Digital personal photograph

    Official page →

  2. Temporary stay

    Tourist e-visa, 10 days or one month

    Tourist Visit Visa (Unsponsored) – تأشيرة زيارة سياحية غير مكفولة

    Passports not on the visa-free list, notably Indian nationals without a qualifying third-country visa, and visa-free nationals who want longer than 14 days.

    Income floor
    none published
    Duration
    10 days or one month per the fee schedule; a one-month extension of the one-month visa is reported by travel sources but no official extension rule was found on the pages opened
    Cost
    OMR 5 for 10 days and OMR 20 for one month, the categories created by ROP Decision 129/2018 amending Article 29 of the residence regulations
    Processing
    Online; usually within a few working days according to airline and travel-industry guidance
    Eligibility
    Passport valid six months; return or onward ticket, hotel booking and health insurance are expected; nationals of India, Pakistan, Philippines, Bangladesh and certain other countries face extra checks
    Work rights
    None; a tourism category only. Remote work is not addressed in the published rules
    Dependants
    Each person, including children, needs a separate e-visa
    Leads to
    no
    Apply
    Royal Oman Police e-visa portal (evisa.rop.gov.om)

    Documents Passport copy · Digital photograph · Return or onward ticket · Hotel booking confirmation · Health insurance (reported requirement)

    Official page →

  3. Temporary stay

    Free 14-day tourist visa (new, August 2026)

    14-day tourist visa, fee-exempt, added to Article 29 fee schedule by ROP Decision 109/2026

    Nationals of countries the Royal Oman Police will designate; the list had not been published when the decision appeared in Official Gazette No. 1659 on 2 August 2026.

    Income floor
    none
    Duration
    14 days; cannot be extended; may be replaced before expiry with another tourist visa category on payment of that category's fee
    Cost
    Free (fee exemption written into the fee schedule)
    Processing
    Not yet published
    Eligibility
    Nationals of countries designated by the competent authority, on the traveller's request and under conditions the authority sets
    Work rights
    A tourist category; no work rights
    Dependants
    Not published
    Leads to
    no – expressly not convertible into an Omani residence visa
    Apply
    Royal Oman Police; channel not yet specified

    Documents Passport valid six months · Conditions to be set by the Royal Oman Police; the designated-nationality list was still unpublished in August 2026

    Official page →

  4. Investor

    Golden Residency (investor residency programme)

    Golden Residency Programme – برنامج الإقامة الذهبية, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion

    High-net-worth remote workers who can lock OMR 250,000 or more into Omani property or a company and want multi-year residence without an employer.

    Income floor
    Investment, not income: OMR 250,000 (about USD 650,000) for the five-year tier; OMR 500,000 (about USD 1.3 million) in a company or property, or a company employing at least 50 Omanis, for the ten-year tier (UNCTAD Investment Policy Monitor, 31 August 2025)
    Duration
    5 or 10 years; renewable while the qualifying investment continues to meet the conditions
    Cost
    Government fees were not shown on the pages opened; consultancy figures vary and are not verified here
    Processing
    Consultancies report three to six weeks from submission to residence card; no official time was found
    Eligibility
    Maintain the qualifying investment; the programme was relaunched with effect from 31 August 2025
    Work rights
    Residence tied to investment; business ownership rights reported; remote work for a foreign employer is not addressed in the published material
    Dependants
    Consultancies report spouse, children and first-degree relatives may be included; not verified on an official page
    Leads to
    no published path to permanent residence or citizenship; residence is renewable while the investment stands
    Apply
    Invest Oman residency portal under the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (the residency subdomain returned a certificate error when opened)

    Documents Passport · Proof of the qualifying investment (title deed or company registration) · Other documents as set by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion

  5. Other route

    Employment (work) visa

    Work Visa – تأشيرة عمل, Royal Oman Police, on a Ministry of Labour work permit

    Someone who takes a job with an Omani employer; the only mainstream way to hold long-term residence without investing.

    Income floor
    none published for the visa; the Ministry of Labour permit governs the role and salary
    Duration
    Two years from the date of stamping, multiple entry; renewable through the sponsor
    Cost
    OMR 20 (Gov.om and ROP); OMR 50 per month fine for late renewal (ROP)
    Processing
    Gov.om lists about four minutes for the visa step; the Ministry of Labour permit and medical checks come first and take longer
    Eligibility
    Aged 21 or over; a local sponsor with full legal capacity; a Ministry of Labour work permit; occupation and gender must match the permit; medical certificates for nationals of India, Pakistan, Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Syria and Nepal
    Work rights
    Local employment for the sponsoring employer only; the 2023 Labour Law is reported to allow job changes under an existing permit and remote work within Oman for the employer
    Dependants
    A Family Joining Visa category exists on the ROP site; conditions were not on the pages opened
    Leads to
    no published route from employment residence to permanent residence or citizenship
    Apply
    Sponsor applies through the Royal Oman Police e-visa system after obtaining the Ministry of Labour permit

    Documents Passport copy (six months validity) · Personal photograph · Work permit copy · Medical examination results · Special permits for teaching, religious, media and medical occupations

    Official page →

Without a visa, by passport

The stay you get on arrival, and whether working remotely on it is tolerated

  • EU / EEA / Switzerland14 days visa-free (most EU states, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland appear on the Foreign Ministry list; passport valid six months, return ticket, hotel booking, health insurance and funds required)The stay cannot be extended or transferred to any residence visa. Remote work is not addressed in the published rules; nothing on the official pages tolerates or expressly forbids it, so it sits in a grey area.
  • United Kingdom14 days visa-free, same conditionsGrey: tourist entry only; no published statement on working remotely for a foreign employer.
  • United States14 days visa-free, same conditionsGrey; a longer stay needs the OMR 20 one-month e-visa or the OMR 50 one-year visa.
  • Canada14 days visa-free, same conditionsGrey; not extendable in country.
  • Australia14 days visa-free, same conditionsGrey; not extendable in country.
  • IndiaVisa required unless the traveller holds residence or a valid visa for the US, Canada, Australia, UK, a Schengen state or Japan, or GCC residence in an approved profession, in which case 14 days; otherwise e-visa at OMR 5 for 10 days or OMR 20 for one monthGrey on the same basis; Indian nationals also face a medical-certificate requirement if they later move to a work visa.
  • Brazil14 days visa-free, same conditionsGrey; on the 2023 Foreign Ministry list of visa-exempt countries.
  • South Africa14 days visa-free, same conditionsGrey; on the 2023 Foreign Ministry list.
  • Turkey14 days visa-free, same conditionsGrey; on the 2023 Foreign Ministry list.
  • Japan14 days visa-free, same conditionsGrey; on the 2023 Foreign Ministry list.
  • New Zealand14 days visa-free, same conditionsGrey; on the 2023 Foreign Ministry list.
  • GCC nationals (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE)No visa requiredEmployment still needs a Ministry of Labour permit.

Tax

When the country starts counting you as its taxpayer

Residency trigger
Until 31 December 2027 Oman levies no personal income tax, so there is no individual residency test in force. From 1 January 2028, under Royal Decree 56/2025, a tax resident is any natural person present in Oman for 183 days or more, continuous or intermittent, in a tax year; residents are taxed on worldwide income and non-residents only on Oman-sourced income. No permanent-home or centre-of-interests test appears in the law; the executive regulations that will supply detail were still pending in August 2026.
Special regime
From 2028 a 5 per cent tax applies to gross income above OMR 42,000 a year (about USD 109,200) across eleven income classes including salaries, self-employment, rent and share proceeds. KPMG reports a one-time two-year exemption for income earned outside Oman, plus exemptions for primary-residence sales, inheritance and gifts. No nomad-specific regime exists.
Social security
The Social Protection Fund covers employees under Omani work permits; a remote worker with no Omani employer has no contribution route on the pages opened. No certificate-of-coverage or totalisation agreements with the countries above were found in the sources consulted.
Treaties
Oman has about 40 double-taxation agreements in force, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Ireland (effective January 2025), Turkey, India, China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea; no treaty with the United States, Canada, Australia or Brazil appeared in the lists consulted. Until 2028 the practical effect is limited to home-country residence tie-breaks, because Oman taxes no individual income.

Practicalities

Bank account
Most banks require an Omani residence card and often an employer no-objection letter plus proof of address; some banks are reported to open non-resident accounts with proof of address, and Sohar International is reported to accept property-purchase documents from foreign buyers. A tourist e-visa alone does not open a mainstream account.
Health insurance
Health insurance is a stated condition of the 14-day visa-free entry. The Dhamani compulsory health-insurance scheme for private-sector employees, expatriates and visitors was being rolled out with its electronic platform expected operational by the end of 2025 (Mercer).
Tax number
No personal tax number is needed before 2028; the Tax Authority portal (tms.taxoman.gov.om) currently registers businesses. Individual registration mechanics await the executive regulations of the 2028 law.
Overstay penalties
OMR 10 per day of overstay with no published cap; fines are cleared at the airport before departure. A grace period for overstayers to regularise or leave ran until 31 July 2025.
Visa extension
The 14-day visa-free stay and the new free 14-day visa cannot be extended; the one-year visa limits each visit to one month; extension of the one-month e-visa is reported by travel sources but no official rule was found.
Employment sponsorship
Any local work requires a Ministry of Labour permit and a sponsor; applicants must be 21 or over and nationals of several South Asian, African and Arab countries must supply medical certificates.

Oman: fourteen days free, a year of thirty-day visits, and no nomad visa yet

Where remote workers base and on what paper

Muscat is the practical base: it has the international airport, the co-working space, the fibre and the hospital cover, with Salalah drawing a smaller crowd during the khareef monsoon season. Nobody bases in Oman on a nomad visa, because there is none. The pattern in September 2026 is a 14-day visa-free entry for the hundred-odd exempt passports, an OMR 20 one-month e-visa for anyone who wants longer, and an OMR 50 one-year multiple-entry visa for people who commute in and out from Dubai or the wider region, staying up to a month at a time.

Several aggregator sites and one Gulf-focused magazine describe a Self-Employment and Remote Work Visa from the Ministry of Labour with a 12-month term and an income floor of about OMR 1,500 a month. No such visa appears on Gov.om, the Royal Oman Police visa pages or the Foreign Ministry site, and a Muscat Daily piece of 30 November 2025 carried the idea only as a reader's suggestion. Until a decision number and a fee-schedule entry exist, the figure should be treated as unverified.

What applicants report about the process

The e-visa itself is quick: Gov.om lists service times in minutes and airlines advise applying about four days out. Refusals reported by travellers cluster around passport validity under six months, missing hotel bookings and Indian or other Group 2 passports that lack the qualifying US, UK, Schengen, Canadian, Australian or Japanese visa the Foreign Ministry requires for the 14-day exemption.

The Golden Residency is the only residence route without an employer and it is a capital decision, not a paperwork one. Consultancies quote three to six weeks to a residence card, but the government pages opened publish neither fees nor timings, and the residency portal returned a certificate error when opened in September 2026.

Money, banking and tax while there

Daily money is straightforward on foreign cards, but a local account is hard without a residence card. Banks generally want residence, an employer letter and proof of address; a few open non-resident accounts and one, Sohar International, is reported to accept property-purchase files from foreign buyers.

Oman charges no personal income tax on anyone until 1 January 2028. After that, 183 days in a calendar year makes a person tax resident on worldwide income at 5 per cent above OMR 42,000, with a reported one-off two-year exemption for foreign-earned income. The executive regulations were still awaited in August 2026, so how a remote employee of a foreign company files, and how the roughly 40 treaties will be applied, remains to be written.

What is changing

Entry is getting cheaper rather than longer: the free 14-day tourist visa gazetted on 2 August 2026 adds a fee-exempt category on top of the existing visa-free exemption, but the nationality list was unpublished and the stay still cannot be extended or turned into residence.

The direction of travel on tax is the opposite. The 2028 income tax is enacted and only its regulations are outstanding, so a nomad counting on Oman as a zero-tax base has a dated horizon. Watch the Royal Oman Police fee schedule for any remote-work category and the Tax Authority for the regulations.

Researched from fm.gov.om · fm.gov.om · gov.om · gov.om · rop.gov.om · omanobserver.om · gulfnews.com · gulfnews.com · blog.decree.om · kpmg.com · the authority