O-man Visa

I have been planning for some time to take a trip down to Muscat to visit a friend (and dive instructor) and do some diving. In my typical style I have been totally lax and disorganized about getting anything organized about this. I therefore decided today to do down and apply for an Oman visa to speed up the border crossing process which, if you have ever tried to get through before it can be....erm......challenging one time, easy the next.

Anyway, with three days to spare I went down to the Oman Embassy with my form pre-filled out as instructed by our PRO. Upon arrival I was advised that the form I had completed was out of date and that I must purchase the new (and presumably improved) version.......which was exactly the same except it is a slightly light shade of green. Still, I have been in the Middle East long enough to know the importance of the “correct form” and argue at all, and politely purchased my new form and copied all the same detail across. I then, as logic would dictate, when to the Indian Embassy to get all the forms copied (I had not read about this bilateral agreement between India and Oman to improve trade ties in the photocoping market but clearly it is there).

With my new form, duly copied, I returned to the Oman embassy and submitted my forms. I discussed with the (unexpectedly polite and patient) official behind the counter that I would travelling in three days and that it was possible to have the visa ready by then. “Maybe” he replied. “Do you mean ‘En Shallah’?” I asked. “Maybe” was his calm reply.

Still can’t complain. It is this calm, no hassle attitude of the Omanis that makes Oman such a good place to visit.

And yes, my visa was ready without any worries and waiting for me on the day of travel.