Visa cancellation must for re-entry into Oman

Visa cancellation is a must for reentry into the Sultanate under a new sponsor or employer even after two years of the exit.

“If anyone desires to come back to Oman, he/she has to get the visa cancelled at the time of exit from the country,” said an official at the Royal Oman Police (ROP).

The person cannot re-enter the Sultanate on any kind of visa, including visit, even after two years from the date of exit, he clarified.

“Still, the visa application can be processed if a no-objection certificate from the former employer or sponsor is obtained and produced before the immigration department,” said the official.

He said it is always safe to leave the country with the knowledge of the sponsor and get the visa cancelled to avoid any kind of trouble.

“Non-cancellation of visa not only blocks the re-entry of a person, but also can create a lot of trouble, if the employer wishes to, by way of filing false complaints,” he said.

A public relations official said his company could not bring back one of its former employees who left the country two years before without cancelling the visa.

“We had to attach an NOC along with the visa application to manage his re-entry,” he said.

A legal expert said it is always better to get the employment visa cancelled, and to exit Oman in a correct and proper way. “Leave alone moral obligation, the act can put an employee in a dangerous situation,” he said.

There have been instances where after an employee’s unannounced departure, false cases were made and police cases were filed.

According to reports, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are mulling plans to ban the entry of foreigners who have any crime sheet against them in any member state.