Sultanate lifts travel ban from September 1

The Sultanate on Monday lifted ban on arrivals from several countries, which include India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The decision will come into effect from September 1. Only fully vaccinated passengers will be allowed, and there will be no quarantine for passengers with negative PCR tests.

Expatriates who had gone on vacations and short trips in March were among those stranded as the ban was imposed in mid-April following a surge in Covid-19 cases across the country.

The decision will also benefit travellers from Sudan, Brazil, Nigeria, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Tunisia, Libya, Argentina and Colombia.

The stranded expatriates were worried about the validity of their visa if the duration of the stay is extended over 180 days. However, the owner of a Sanad centre in Ruwi told the Observer that expatriates who are stranded abroad due to a travel ban were able to renew visas which have expired during this period. “The sponsor or the PRO from the company can visit the Sanad office with company details, passport, resident card copies, and two photographs of the employees for renewal of the visas.”

Now, all visa holders of Oman and those who can obtain a visa upon arrival are allowed to enter the Sultanate.

All passengers arriving in the Sultanate are required to present a vaccine certificate with a QR Code stating that they have received two doses of a vaccine approved in Oman. The last dose received should be not less than 14 days.

All arriving passengers who present a negative result of PCR test before arrival are exempted from quarantine. “The test report should have a valid QR code and the test shall be conducted 96 hours prior to the scheduled time of arrival in the Sultanate for international flights of more than 8-hour duration, including transit, and 72 hours for shorter flights.”

All passengers arriving in the Sultanate without holding a negative PCR test will be subject to a PCR test upon arrival.

In cases of a positive PCR test result, the passenger shall be required to undergo mandatory health isolation for 10 days starting from the test date.

Passengers who have recovered from Covid-19 but tested positive on arrival are exempted from health isolation provided they are able to submit proof that they have completed the prescribed isolation period in the country where they were infected before travelling to the Sultanate.

Heavy traffic was reported by airlines websites immediately after they were opened for bookings. Within minutes, tickets were sold out.

“Fares did matter, but were not a big concern at this stage as I just wanted to go to Oman and resume work at the earliest,” said Vinod Prakash, who went home after quitting his old job in March to join a new company in the Sultanate.