UK visa requirements for Omani citizens (September 2026)
I went through the Home Office's Electronic Travel Authorisation guidance and the scheme it actually replaced, because the visa requirements for Omani citizens have gone through a genuine changeover that a lot of older advice still describes incorrectly. Omani citizens don't need a visa to visit the UK, and that's been true for years. What changed in February 2024 is which system confirms that in advance, and it's not the one a lot of people still assume.
The quick answer
Omani citizens don't need a visa to visit the UK for tourism, business, family visits, or short-term study, for stays of up to 6 months. Before 22 February 2024, Omanis confirmed this in advance through a system called the Electronic Visa Waiver, EVW. That system has been fully retired. Since 22 February 2024, the requirement is an Electronic Travel Authorisation, an ETA, a completely different application system with its own portal, its own fee, and its own validity period.
The current ETA fee is £20 per person, including infants, and one ETA covers multiple trips over 2 years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. If you're still looking for information about applying for an EVW, that's the wrong system, since it stopped being available to Omani citizens in February 2024.
None of this applies to work, long-term study, or settling in the UK, which still need a specific visa applied for through the ordinary Immigration Rules.
What people actually mean by these terms
UK entry content aimed at Omani travellers still occasionally references a system that no longer exists, so it's worth being precise about what changed.
Non-visa national
Someone who doesn't need a visa to visit the UK for short stays. Oman has held this status for years; only the confirmation system has changed.
EVW (retired)
The Electronic Visa Waiver, the older system Omani citizens used before February 2024. No longer available or relevant to new applications.
ETA
Electronic Travel Authorisation. The current system, in place since 22 February 2024, with its own app, fee, and validity period.
Skilled Worker and Student visas
Separate long-term routes for employment or study beyond what a visit covers, each needing a UK sponsor and their own application.
The mix-up people actually make: looking up how to apply for an EVW, since that's still what a lot of older guides and search results describe. The EVW scheme was retired for GCC nationals, Oman included, when the ETA took over on 22 February 2024. Applying for the wrong one wastes time on a system that no longer processes new applications.
Entry requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Visa for tourism, family visits, short business | Not required | Oman is a non-visa national for stays up to 6 months |
| Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) | Retired | No longer available; fully replaced by the ETA since 22 Feb 2024 |
| Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) | Required now | £20 per person, apply before you travel |
| Skilled employment | Visa required | Skilled Worker visa, needs a licensed UK sponsor |
| Study beyond short-term, or stays over 6 months | Visa required | Student visa or other appropriate long-term route |
The EVW scheme that ETA replaced
Before 22 February 2024, Omani citizens, along with the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council, used a scheme called the Electronic Visa Waiver, EVW, to confirm their visa-exempt status before travelling to the UK. It cost around £30 per visit and had to be renewed for each trip. On 22 February 2024, the UK replaced the EVW entirely with the ETA for GCC nationals, following the same rollout that had already started with Qatar a few months earlier.
The ETA works differently in a few ways that matter. It's linked to your passport rather than a single trip, valid for 2 years or until that passport expires, and covers multiple journeys within that period rather than needing a fresh application every time you travel. It's also slightly cheaper at the current £20 fee than the old EVW's roughly £30 per-visit charge. If you're used to renewing an EVW before each UK trip, that habit itself is now out of date, since the ETA simply doesn't need repeating for every visit within its validity window.
There's no EVW to renew anymore. If a website is offering to help you apply for or renew an Electronic Visa Waiver, it's describing a system that stopped accepting new applications in February 2024. Apply for an ETA instead, directly through GOV.UK or the official app.
What the ETA actually covers
An approved ETA permits tourism, visiting family and friends, business activities like meetings and conferences, and short-term study, for stays of up to 6 months per visit. One ETA covers multiple trips within its validity window, so a genuine benefit over the old system is not having to reapply before every single trip. If you renew your passport during that window, you'll need a new ETA linked to the new document, since it's tied to the specific passport used in the application.
It doesn't cover working in the UK, even informally, joining a partner or family member on a long-term basis, or studying beyond what counts as short-term. Those all need a proper visa route, applied for before you travel.
Visa options beyond a visit
If your reason for travel isn't a visit at all, the ETA isn't the right mechanism, and travelling on one anyway for a longer-term purpose risks being refused entry or having your ETA cancelled. Skilled work in the UK needs a Skilled Worker visa, tied to a job offer from a UK employer holding a sponsor licence. Longer study needs a Student visa, tied to a confirmed offer and a sponsoring institution. Joining a partner or family member already settled in the UK sits under a separate family visa route with its own income and relationship requirements.
Each of these is a genuinely different application from an ETA, with different evidence, different fees, and a longer processing timeline. Matching your paperwork to your actual purpose from the outset avoids being turned away at the border on an ETA that was never meant to cover what you're actually doing.
Before you fly
- Apply for an ETA, not an EVW. The older scheme stopped accepting applications from Omani citizens on 22 February 2024.
- Apply through GOV.UK or the official app only, never through a third-party site charging more than the £20 government fee.
- Apply well before your trip, even though approval is often fast, rather than leaving it until the day of travel.
- Check your ETA is still linked to a valid passport if you've renewed since your last application.
- Apply for every traveller, including infants, since there's no age exemption from the ETA requirement.
FAQ
What are the visa requirements for Omani citizens visiting the UK?
None, for an ordinary visit. Oman is a non-visa national, so no Standard Visitor visa is needed for tourism, business, family visits, or short-term study up to 6 months. You do need an approved ETA before you travel, which replaced the older EVW scheme in February 2024.
Can I still apply for an EVW instead of an ETA?
No. The Electronic Visa Waiver scheme stopped accepting applications from Omani citizens, along with the rest of the GCC, on 22 February 2024. It's been fully replaced by the ETA.
How much does a UK ETA actually cost?
£20 per person, which has risen from an original £10, and is actually cheaper per year of coverage than the old EVW system, since one ETA covers multiple trips over 2 years rather than needing renewal before every visit.
Do babies and children need their own ETA?
Yes. Every traveller, regardless of age, needs an individually approved ETA. There's no exemption for infants.
How long does one ETA last?
Two years, or until the passport you applied with expires, whichever comes first. It allows multiple trips within that window, each up to 6 months.
Can I work in the UK on an ETA?
No. An ETA covers visit-type activities like tourism and business meetings, not employment. Working in the UK needs a Skilled Worker visa or another appropriate route with a licensed sponsor.
Final verdict
For most people asking about visa requirements for Omani citizens, the reassuring part is that nothing about your actual right to visit the UK visa-free has changed. What has changed is the system confirming it, and it's worth actively unlearning the old EVW process if that's what you're used to, since it's been fully retired since February 2024. Apply for an ETA directly through GOV.UK, expect to pay £20, and you're covered for two years of trips rather than needing to repeat the process every time.
Sources: UK government, Electronic Travel Authorisation guidance · Oman Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ETA launch announcement. Rules change without much warning, so confirm current requirements before flying.