Job Discussion Forums

[SUZUKI]

I've been teaching in Oman for two years and want to stay on here without working. I wonder if I can do this on one-month tourist visas. My idea is to get a one-month visa and then renew it (without leaving the country). The official information (from ROP website) is that this can be done, but I wonder whether, in practice, the immigration people would be willing to do it more than (say) once.

There is the option of a one-year tourist visa, but this is "three weeks in/three weeks out", so is a non-starter.

My questions are, then: 1) Does anyone know if it's possible to keep renewing a one-monthvisa? (Has anyone done this?) 2) Or could one, if one wished, leave the country once a month, turn round and come back, ad infinitum? (a hassle, yes, but is it possible?)

A further possibility that's occurred to me is that my employer might??? agree to not cancel my residency visa, allowing me to be "on the books" but not actually working. Unlikely, perhaps, but it's a thought.

Answers and advice gratefully received.

[veiledsentiments]

I have never heard of anyone doing this, and I suspect that it may not be possible without the assistance of an Omani who has the wasta to help you. I doubt that your employer would keep your visa alive as they would be taking responsibility for your actions - including if you skipped the country with unpaid bills. They would have to be stupid to do that.

The question that occurs to me, as it will to the authorities, is to wonder how you plan to support yourself in a country that is not cheap by any measurement. If you are female, you will set yourself up for suspicion of prostitution... and these renewals would certainly spark investigation on their part. This is a small country with a low population, and well policed (ie... spied upon). If you are moving in with some unrelated person of the opposite sex, I can see problems showing up.

VS

[SUZUKI]

Hi, Veiled Sentiments.

I'm a married man living here with wife, who also has her residency permit/papers.

I suppose that if my employer didn't cancel our permits (which I agree is unlikely), the question of how we'd support ourselves wouldn't crop up (no-one would have any reason to ask).

Similarly, if here on a tourist visa, no-one would ask.

The key questions are, I think, 1)can one keep renewing a tourist visa? 2) can one keep going out and coming in again without exciting the interest of the authorities?

True, btw, that costs here are not low, but nor are they, in our case, prohibitive.

[Stephen Jones]

If your wife is working for somebody else she can transfer you to her visa.

[veiledsentiments]

[Aliskander]

In short - yes you can do this. Immigration merely stamp your passport each time. You may need an Omani to go with you to the immigration office to renew your passport at the end of the first month, but this is purely to make the process quicker.
I did this for 2 years - that is how i know.
However - if you are caught working, then you will have a problem.

[veiledsentiments]

What's the punishment Aliskander? just deportation?

VS

[SUZUKI]

Hi Aliskander, that's interesting. I'd like to ask whether this was done without hitch, done gladly ("no questions asked"; in short, whether it was simple, unworriesomwe, and not hugely time-consuming (also, where you were located).

I suppose that when residency papers are about to run out one leaves the country (we'd like to do this by road, to U.A.E. - road permit needed?) and then reenters as a tourist. A further key point that arises in our case is our vehicle. I wonder whether we'd take it out and then bring it back in, or leave it here, or whether it wouldn't matter how we did it. I mention this because when we eventually leave Oman we definitely plan to take the vehicle with us, either shipping it from here or taking it to the U.A.E. and onward from there. Obviously, car papers would have to be in order.

Trying to do this, to stay on, will likely give rise to other problems we haven't yet thought about. Input re. others' experiences would thus be useful, I'm sure.

[veiledsentiments]

Car papers may be where your biggest problem comes in...

VS

[SUZUKI]

Hi Veiled Sentiments,

All comments are welcome, of course, and thanks for yours. That said, the last one was perhaps less than fully helpful. Re. "car papers", are you speaking from personal experience, or thinking of the case of someone you've known? Or perhaps you might like to say how and why you think this might be a problem.

Cheers

[veiledsentiments]

It is just that almost anything you do with renewing plates and such require a letter from your employer. I think what you really need is an Omani helper... most employers have someone on staff who works as a fixer. If you can befriend this person, he may be very helpful for things like road passes and such even once you leave the job.

For instance, I was told that I couldn't register my car while I was still on a tourist visa, but an Omani employee of a friend was able to get it done with letters from my employer and visits to many offices of the ROP to schmooz with officers. They would have just given me a fast 'no.' I had been in the country 3 days... (my shipping had arrived before me)

VS

[Aliskander]

Hi,
I was based in Salalah. There was absolutely no problem at any time with immigration - in fact we almost became friends! At first my friend and i invented an elaborate story in case i was questionned - i never had to use it!
Car papers - i believe my friend just took my passport to ROP and renewed the mulkia. Mind you, he is an exceptionally useful friend to have and knows everyone. Even when another car drove in to me, we simply presented my passport and said my visa was 'lodged with the ministry for renewing' - no problem.
Being caught working - the company where you are working will get a warning and various follow up checks from the ministry. You will be prevented from working and will also be given a stern warning, you may get fined. Where i was, one of the directors was related to the head of the ministry - so we always knew when an inspection would happen. However, that company still openly employs people without work visas and they have no problems.

[SUZUKI]

Hi Aliskander,

I just sent you a private message.