Oman to end visa renewal grace period by July 31

The Ministry of Labour in Oman has issued a final notice urging all individuals, employers, and workers to rectify their employment status before the grace period ends on July 31, 2025.

The Ministry said that no applications will be accepted after the deadline, and all submissions must be made through official digital platforms and approved service centers.

The announcement follows a broader amnesty initiative introduced in January 2025, when the Omani Cabinet approved a comprehensive waiver package valued at 60 million Omani Rials (approximately $156 million).

The aim is to streamline labour market regulations, safeguard the rights of both workers and employers, and ensure a more efficient employment environment.

Key benefits of the initiative include:

Full cancellation of fines and dues on labour cards that have been inactive for over seven years.
Exemption from repatriation (airfare) costs for workers who exited Oman before 2018.
Automatic cancellation of labour cards unused for more than 10 years, provided there are no outstanding service requests.

Waivers for liquidated companies, given workers are either repatriated or have their services transferred.

During the six-month grace period (February 1 to July 31, 2025), individuals can:

Renew expired labour cards by paying fees for the upcoming two years.
Cancel absconding (work abandonment) reports.
Transfer sponsorship or settle repatriation expenses.

Applications must be submitted via the Ministry’s official website or authorised service channels.

Oman’s foreign workforce is largely made up of nationals from Bangladesh (622,078), India (507,956), and Pakistan (314,997)—together accounting for over 80% of the expat labour population.