Oman: Foreign Property Owners Uncertain Whether Residency Visas Will Be Issued

According to Maktoob Business, uncertainty remains two years after Oman enacted a law granting residency visas to foreign property owners, mainly because the law did not specify whether developers or the government would issue the visa. As a result, many foreign property owners have been unable to secure a residency visa. Instead, individuals who wish to remain in Oman for longer than one month must either secure a visa through their employer or renew a visitor’s visa on a monthly basis (which requires exiting Oman in order to apply for the visa).

Gulf Cooperation Council: Single Visa Application System Proposed

Immigration officials of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) likely will approve a single visa application system, which would allow Gulf visitors entry to all six of the GCC member countries (the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait). As reported at zawya.com, the single Gulf visa application system was proposed and favorably received at a recent meeting of undersecretaries of GCC interior ministries. GCC representatives also are discussing a range of issues regarding security coordination among the member countries, aiming to facilitate movement of Gulf citizens and foreign residents within the GCC.