The Sultanate of Oman

General Useful Information

Passport & Visas, Entry Formalities

  • All visitors must hold a valid passport.
  • Prospective visitors to Oman should obtain a visa issued from the Directorate General of Immigration (Royal Oman Police) by contacting one of the following authorities
    • The Oman Embassies & Consulates abroad
    • The Dept. of Immigration and passports at Al Buraimi or the Sultanate’s commercial office in Dubai for those entering through the Border crossing at Wajajah, Hafit and Hatta at the UAE border.
  • A two week entry visa will be issued for businessmen without a sponsor, the issuance of the visa takes one week from the date of submission.
  • Transit visas for twenty four hours are issued at Seeb International Airport.
  • The ordinary visit visas require an Omani sponsor, duration is for three months and it takes one week to obtain.
  • Nationals of the G.C.C. States may enter the Sultanate of Oman without a visa.
  • Books, magazines, other printed matter, video cassettes and movie films are subject to censorship at the entry points.
  • The following imports are strictly prohibited:
    1. Alcohol
    2. Fresh foods
    3. Israeli Currency
    4. Firearms

Time

GMT +4 hours

Official Holidays

  • Hijra New Year One day - 1st Moharrum
  • Prophet’s birthday One day – 12th Rabi-Al-Awai
  • Isra and Meiraj One day 27th Rajab
  • Eid Al – Fitr 1st – 4th Shawal
  • Eid Al Adha Three to Five Days 9th to 13th Al Hijjrah
  • National Day Two days 18th and 19th November
  • Friday (& Thursday for govt. offices)

Office Hours

  • Ministries and Government Establishments
    07:30 a.m. to 02:30 p.m. Saturday to Wednesday
    Thursday and Friday – Official holidays 
  • Private Sector Companies
    08:00 am to 01:00 pm
    04:00 pm to 07:00 pm
    Many private sector companies work non-break shift schedules.
  • Markets
    08:00 am to 01:00 pm
    04:00 pm to 09:00 pm
    except Muttrah market which closes at 07:30 pm
  • Banks
    08:00 am to 12:20 pm
  • Museums
    08:00 am to 01:00 pm, except Fridays and Official holidays.

Postal Services

Oman has several post offices and there is a high frequency airmail system to overseas destinations. There is also an express mail service for urgent postage delivery. The Sultanate also has branch offices of most of the top international courier services.

Media

Two English daily Newspapers are published in the Sultanate – The Oman Observer and the Times of Oman. Other magazines published locally and outside the country are also available. The Arabic newspapers include Al Watan, Al Shabiba and Oman Daily newspaper.

Currency

The Omani Riyal is divided into 1,000 Baizas. RO1/- = US$2.58. Currency notes are available in denominations : RO 50, 20, 10, 5, 1. Currency notes are also available in 100, 200, quarter and half Riyal denominations. Coins are available in denominations of 500, 250, 100, 50, 25, 10 and 5 baizas.

Dress

Like all Arab countries, Arab Islamic culture dominates the style of life in the Sultanate. However, being an international market, other cultures of various nationalities are widely visible. Both men and women are expected to dress conservatively in public places.

Ramadhan

It is a fasting month for Muslims and starts 10 days earlier each year according to the Gregorian calendar. During the day time Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and smoking. Therefore, eating, drinking and smoking in public is prohibited for all during Ramadhan. Office timings are slightly changed to shorter working hours and business meetings are sometimes difficult to arrange.

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The Traditional Aflaj Irrigation System 


Links

Main Directories
Oman Web Directory | Business-Oman.com | Industries-Oman.com | MuscatMall.com

Business Oman Sub Domains
Accounts-Oman | Clinics-Oman | Consultant-Oman | Engineers-Oman | Finance-Oman | Institutes-Oman | Lawyers-Oman | Schools-Oman | Services-Oman | Tourism-Oman | Traders-Oman

Industries Oman Sub Domains
Nizwa Online | Raysut Online | Rusayl Online | Sohar Online | Sur Online

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