- Oman has resumed in-country visa extensions for UAE residents currently sheltering in the country.
- Eligible travelers can receive a one-time 28-day extension for approximately fifty-two US dollars.
- This policy provides a critical legal window amid regional conflict and ongoing travel disruptions.
(OMAN) — Oman has resumed in-country visa extensions for UAE residents sheltering in the country, allowing eligible travelers to renew at the Royal Oman Police (ROP) Qurum service center in Muscat as regional conflict and travel disruptions continue.
The move means UAE residency-visa holders who entered Oman on the 14-day visa-on-arrival can now apply for a 28-day extension without leaving the country. The extension costs OMR 20 (approx. USD 52), and ROP officers have indicated that only one in-country renewal will be granted per person.
Oman Resumes In-Country Visa Extensions for UAE Residents at a time when many travelers remain caught between disrupted flight schedules, intermittent Strait of Hormuz closures and congested land crossings. Overstay fines of OMR 10 per day (approx. USD 26) apply unless travelers renew to avoid them.
The policy marks a shift after Oman had suspended in-country extensions for over a year. During that period, travelers had to renew by exiting through the Wajaja/Hatta land border, an option that has become harder during the current crisis.
That change has immediate travel consequences for UAE-based contractors, remote workers and families who moved to Muscat when UAE airspace faced restrictions. Renewing inside Oman reduces the need for risky visa runs and lowers the chance of travelers becoming stranded at crowded border points while airspace remains unreliable.
UAE and Oman Measures Create a Narrow Legal Window
It also interacts with a separate UAE measure announced this month. The UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security said on March 12, 2026 that residents whose visas expired on or after February 28, 2026, while they were abroad, may re-enter the UAE without a new permit or overstay fines until March 31, 2026.
Taken together, the two steps have given displaced residents a narrow window to remain lawful in Oman and then return to the UAE without immediate penalty. For people waiting for flights to stabilize, that extra time matters.
Regional hostilities began in late February 2026 and escalated on February 28, 2026 with missile and drone activity. Since then, major carriers including Emirates and Air Arabia have operated on skeleton schedules, while shipping and travel routes through the Strait of Hormuz have faced intermittent closures.
Those disruptions have shaped ordinary immigration decisions into urgent travel calculations. A visa renewal that once required a routine border trip can now involve uncertain transport, congested crossings and the risk of delay on both land and in the air.
How the New Omani Process Works
The new Omani process offers a local alternative. Eligible UAE residents can deal directly with the Royal Oman Police (ROP) service center in Qurum rather than attempt renewal by departure and re-entry.
For families and workers sheltering in Muscat, the local extension acts as a pressure valve. It gives remote workers and corporate staff 28 additional days to wait for flight stabilization before trying to return to the UAE.
That timing also eases some of the financial strain created by prolonged displacement. The resumed Omani extension and the UAE waiver of overstay fines until March 31, 2026 together reduce costs for households that would otherwise face penalties on both sides of the border.
Travelers still face limits. The extension runs for 28 days, costs OMR 20 (approx. USD 52), and comes with a one-renewal cap per person under the ROP policy.
That cap means the measure provides temporary relief rather than an open-ended solution. Anyone who outstays without renewing faces fines of OMR 10 per day (approx. USD 26 per day).
The reopening of in-country renewals is also a practical response to the conditions created by the regional crisis. With land borders congested and airspace unstable, a process that keeps applicants inside Muscat removes one of the more difficult logistical burdens facing stranded residents.
For travelers who had been relying on short-term legal status, the resumption reduces the need to pass through areas affected by debris or military activity to maintain valid documents. It also lowers the risk of ending up between borders while waiting for onward movement.
Time-Bound UAE Grace Period Adds Pressure
The UAE side of the policy equation remains time-bound. Under the March 12, 2026 announcement from the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, residents whose visas expired on or after February 28, 2026 while abroad can return without a new permit or overstay fines only until March 31, 2026.
That deadline has put pressure on residents trying to balance legal status, personal safety and transport availability. Some may use the 28-day Omani extension to remain sheltered longer, while others may try to return before the UAE grace period closes.
Broader Immigration and Travel Responses
The crisis has drawn responses beyond the Gulf’s own immigration systems. In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security posted a Federal Register notice on March 2, 2026 announcing the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Yemen, effective May 4, 2026.
DHS said that “nationals of Yemen. who have been granted TPS will no longer have Temporary Protected Status” after that date, following a review of country conditions by the Secretary of Homeland Security. That action came as governments across the region and beyond adjusted travel and immigration rules in response to instability.
USCIS also issued a Policy Memorandum, updated January 5, 2026, directing the agency to “Hold and Review” all pending benefit applications filed by citizens of 39 countries affected by the January 1, 2026 travel restrictions. The applications covered “employment authorization, extensions, amendments, and change of status requests.”
On March 3, 2026, a new Travel Safety Memo on “Unrest in the Middle East” followed a Presidential Proclamation that expanded travel restrictions because of escalating geopolitical tensions involving Iran. Those U.S. measures do not govern Omani or UAE visas, but they show how the regional crisis has spilled into broader immigration and travel policy.
Why the Omani Decision Matters Now
For UAE residents in Oman, however, the immediate issue is simpler: whether they can remain legally in place while waiting for transport to normalize. On that point, the Omani decision offers a direct answer.
Before the change, suspended in-country extensions forced travelers toward Wajaja/Hatta for renewal. In normal conditions that could be an inconvenience; under current conditions it became a problem of access, timing and exposure to disruption.
Local renewal in Muscat removes the need for that trip for people who qualify. It lets them preserve legal status where they are, rather than gamble on a functioning route out and back.
That matters for workers whose jobs depend on staying reachable and documented. Remote workers and corporate staff sheltering in Muscat now have more time to keep working, wait for airlines to restore steadier service and decide when to attempt the return journey.
The travel backdrop remains unsettled. Emirates and Air Arabia continue to operate on skeleton schedules, limiting options for residents hoping to fly back quickly or change routes at short notice.
Intermittent Strait of Hormuz closures have added another layer of uncertainty to regional movement. Even when routes reopen, timing can shift rapidly, leaving displaced residents dependent on temporary immigration relief to avoid falling out of status.
Oman’s policy does not erase those wider pressures. It does, however, give a defined mechanism for one group of travelers to stay compliant without crossing a border during a volatile period.
The official channels for monitoring those changes remain spread across several agencies. Travelers seeking updates can follow the ROP eVisa portal, the UAE ICP, the U.S. Embassy in Oman, the USCIS newsroom and U.S. Department of State travel advisories.
For now, the policy’s terms are clear: one in-country renewal per person, 28 days of added stay, a fee of OMR 20 (approx. USD 52), and overstay penalties of OMR 10 per day (approx. USD 26) for those who do not renew. In a crisis shaped by closed routes and shifting schedules, that limited extension has become one of the few fixed points available to UAE residents waiting in Oman.
