- Oman has halted work permit renewals for all expatriates over the age of sixty.
- The policy reversal restores an age cap that was previously relaxed in early twenty twenty-two.
- Labor portals are immediately rejecting applications for workers whose permits expire in August twenty twenty-six.
Oman has stopped issuing and renewing work permits for expatriates above age 60, and several renewal applications have already been rejected in recent weeks. The shift is being enforced now. It rolls back a looser stance that had let older foreign workers keep renewing their papers.
A senior official familiar with the matter said the change has already moved from policy to practice. The official said, "work permits for expatriates above the age of 60 are currently not being issued." The rejection is happening at the administrative level. It is not theoretical.
The cutoff is 60. It covers both new permits and renewals for expatriates. That restores an age line that January 2022 had removed, when the ministry let older workers continue to renew their documents. The cap is back.
Dr. Mahad bin Said bin Ali Baawain, Oman’s Minister of Labour, defended the earlier loosening by saying it was meant to "give employers greater flexibility to retain productive and experienced workers." The ministry also said the old approach would let it draw on accumulated experience and keep high-level foreign talent, including academics and medical consultants, in place. Those were the arguments then. They do not describe the current clampdown.
The labour ministry still lists renewal services for non-Omani workers on its website. The public service page does not spell out an age threshold. Applicants learn the rule when the system refuses the filing. The portal is doing the talking now.
Portals are rejecting age-60 applications now
By August 22–23, 2026, the stop was being applied at the portal itself. Employers trying to submit renewals were getting age-based rejections. Several applications have already been turned back in recent weeks. Workers whose permits expired in August 2026 were among the first to hit the wall. The refusal is immediate.
Under Ministerial Decision 602/2025, issued October 22, 2025, work permits are generally issued for 24 months and can be renewed. The new age ceiling sits on top of that system. It also intersects with late-renewal penalties of OMR 10 per month. The clock still runs, but not for everyone.
The clampdown also fits a wider labor squeeze. Oman has barred expatriates from more than 200 professions, including HR, PR and managerial roles, as part of a push tied to Oman Vision 2040. The aim is to reduce dependence on foreign labor. The age rule points in the same direction. It narrows the field again.
The earlier abolition of the cap was linked to officials inside the labour ministry, including Nasr Al Hosani, the Undersecretary for Labour. That 2022 shift was meant to keep experienced residents in work. It also opened the door wider to foreign specialists. The new stop closes it. Fast.
Residency raises the stakes further. It is tied directly to the work permit. Workers who remain after expiry can face legal action, which turns a blocked renewal into an immediate stay-or-go decision for employers and families. There is little room to wait. The risk is real.
In 2022, about 20,000 expatriates over 60 were estimated to be working in Oman. That number gives a sense of the scale the first exemption reached. The latest halt now lands on that cohort.
