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[Opti]

Citizens of some countries can have their diplomas attested in Muscat after they arrive. The ones that I know of, as of 2009, are: the US, the UK, Egypt, Ireland, India (requires prior attestation in India too), and Sri Lanka (requires prior attestation in Sri Lanka too). Citizens of other countries that have an Embassy in Muscat should contract that Embassy and ask if they attest diplomas here. Otherwise, they will have to get it done in their home country or maybe wherever they are living. For SQU, teachers must submit their attested diploma copies within 3 months of arrival. If you are working outside the Muscat area, you would need to make a weekday trip to Muscat.

1. Bring your ORIGINAL diplomas with you to Oman.
2. Take them, clear photocopies, and your passport for ID to your Embassy on the days and at the times allowed. (Contact the Embassy for the latest info.) This service is free at the US Embassy, but Brits and some other have to pay 5-15 OMR!
3. After your photocopies are stamped by your Embassy, take them and your passport to the nearby Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs Attestation Office near the Inter-Continental Hotel in Shatti Al-Qurum and get the Omani government stamp there.

Information for Americans is given below.

U.S. Embassy Announces New Hours for Attestation of American Degrees and Diplomas
May 11, 2010

The U.S. Embassy in Muscat provides attestation of accreditation for holders of U.S. degrees and diplomas, many of whom require this service as part of the process of obtaining employment in the Sultanate. This free service is available from the Information Resource Center of the Embassy�s Public Affairs Section every business day from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Whenever possible, attestation is provided upon presentation of documents, but at times those seeking attestation during service hours may be asked to return later in the day to pick up their completed documents.

Those seeking attestation must bring with them the original of each diploma or equivalent degree certificate to be attested, along with one clear photocopy of each. Attestation can be provided only for U.S. higher-education degree/diploma programs that are fully and formally accredited by an authorized American accreditation body. The Embassy will verify accreditation at the time of attestation. The Embassy is unable to provide attestation for transcripts, photocopies of diplomas/certificates not accompanied by the original, letters of recommendation, or secondary-school diplomas.

Full information about accreditation in American higher education is available on the website of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (http://www.chea.org), which also features a searchable database of accredited programs.

http://oman.usembassy.gov/pr_05112010.html

[veiledsentiments]

How nice that it can now be done in Muscat. That certainly saves one time. Do you have any idea what they are charging for this? What is, in effect, just another government system to separate you from your money? As it states, it is merely checking whether the "original certificate" that you present is from an accredited US institution. It provides no proof that you ever set foot at the place.

So... if you use your fancy computer to create your fake certificates at a local print shop, but sure to fake it with the name of an accredited university. And for likely $5-10, you could have a transcript mailed to your employer from your alma mater which actually proves your credentials. But... that would be too cheap and easy.

VS

[waterman]

[nicole2010]

Hi,

....from the US Embassy in Oman website:

"Please note that Embassy personnel are unable to authenticate educational documents and civil registry documents that have not been first authenticated by the U.S. Department of State (see the Department's Office of Authentications website for more information)."

To have your documents authenticated by the U.S. Department of State you must have them first authenticated by your states Secretary of State. In my state, the clerk of my local court had to stamp them before my states Secretary of State would authenticate them. It was quite complicated; the whole process took several weeks. Then, you have to send the documents to Washington to be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State before the Embassy will authenticate them. See website for information: http://www.state.gov/m/a/auth/

Oman is a not a party to the Hague Convention which has a provision to recognize "legalization of the document" with includes notarization from any Hague country. Japan is a member of the Convention.

[veiledsentiments]

Of course... I thought that this would be too simple and fewer people would have been able to fleece us. It really isn't that complicated and can easily be done in 2 mornings if you are in Washington DC. One morning to get the notarization, go to the DC office to get its wax and ribbons, and drop off at the State Department. You pick it up the next morning and go to the Embassy.

If you are in DC now, the hardest part is finding a notary these days. It used to be every bank had one, but that isn't true anymore.

VS

[waterman]

[denise]

Well, I must have slipped through the cracks somehow. I took my degree to the US Embassy and got it stamped--for free, and the service is available from 8ish to 4ish (although the folks at the security gate, seeing a white face, assumed that I was there for some other embassy appointment and made me wait until 10am). I took my stamped degree to the admin office at SQU, and I was told that I was done! No other visits to other offices, no fees, nothing.

That was 2 years ago, and if I did something wrong, nobody noticed.

d

[usa_in_gulf]

The US Embassy in Muscat is just verifying that your degree is from an accredited institution.

From the embassy�s website:

[veiledsentiments]

[usa_in_gulf]

veiledsentiments wrote:

[veiledsentiments]

[usa_in_gulf]

They are two different processes. Some people may be confused because places in Oman accept either process. In Oman, they just care that you get your documents �stamped��whether the �stamps� come from the US Embassy in Muscat coupled with �stamps� from the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or from the US State Department coupled with �stamps� from the Omani Embassy. The fact is that educational institutes in Oman don�t differentiate, care, or even know the difference. They simply want to see "stamps".

You can refer to nicole2010�s post above, where the poster quotes the embassy�s statement concerning authenticating educational documents.

Additionally, you can refer to Opti�s post, or my own above, concerning attestation of accreditation.

The State Department�s website says nothing about checking as to whether an institute is accreditated or not. And it doesn�t check. (The State Department authenticates lots of different documents; not just educational. They will even authenticate a personal reference. Checking an institute's accreditation is not part of the process. Again, simply "ok-ing" stamps and signatures.)

Today I received a CV from a Serbian gentleman. All of his educational documents had been authenticated at the US State Department. However, all of his educational documents were from Corllins University. If he had taken his �documents� to the US Embassy in Muscat, he would not have received his �stamps�.

Two different processes.

(I am not aware of any other American Embassy in the GCC offering the attestation of accreditation service.)

[veiledsentiments]

[usa_in_gulf]

The American Embassy in Abu Dhabi does not authenticate educational documents nor do they offer attestation of accreditation. There is no US embassy that can authenticate documents. They can authenticate the State Departments "stamp" but not authenticate a "virgin" document.

veiledsentiments wrote:

[Opti]

Hi again,

The post by nicole_2010 sure muddied the waters. The process of getting one's US diplomas attested, which is all that SQU wants, is still dead simple - just follow the steps I described in my first post on this issue. Denise also had no problems. I don't know anything about authenticating documents at the stateside US Dept. of State as that process was not necessary for employment at SQU.

When I worked for a state university in the UAE a few years ago, they required me to order notarized transcripts from my colleges to be sent directly to their personnel office from the college registrar's offices.