Oman

Oman has no digital nomad visa and no freelance or self-employed visa. Foreigners who work in Oman need an Employment Visa requested by an employer, plus a work permit from the Ministry of Labor.

The Commerce Ministry's freelance license is for Omani citizens. A business license on its own doesn't come with a residence visa. A separate page explains why there's no freelancer visa and what agencies sell under that name.

Visiting first

Visitors from more than 100 countries and regions can stay up to 14 days without a visa, according to the Foreign Ministry. They need a passport valid for at least six months, a return ticket, a confirmed hotel booking, health insurance and enough money for the stay. The 14 days can't be extended or converted into residence.

Citizens of a second group of countries, including India and Egypt, qualify only with a valid visa or residence permit from the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., Japan or a Schengen country. GCC residence also counts for them. GCC citizens don't need a visa at all.

For longer visits, the Royal Oman Police e-visa system issues a Tourist Visit Visa to nationals of specified countries for 10 days, 14 days or one month. A one-year multi-entry visit visa allows repeated stays of up to one month each. Both are tourism visas, not work permits.

Residence routes that exist

• A company of one's own: Agencies that advertise an "Oman freelance visa" are selling this route: forming an Omani company that then sponsors its owner on an Employment Visa.
• Investor Visa and Golden Residency: The Investor Visa requires an investment certificate from the Omani authorities and is valid for five or 10 years, renewable. The Golden Residency program offers 10-year residence to those who start or invest in a business, own property in tourism zones, buy bonds or listed shares, hold a fixed-term deposit or employ 50 or more Omanis.
• Property Owner Visa: Issued without a sponsor to a foreigner who owns a property unit, on an ownership certificate from the Omani authorities. It allows a two-year stay.

Choosing a route

Nomads staying a few weeks can use the visa-free stay or a tourist visa. Staying longer means committing money through a company, an investment or a property purchase.

None of these routes is built for someone who simply works online for clients abroad.

A single remote worker in Muscat can plan on roughly OMR 510 to 600 a month (about $1,340 to $1,550) before coworking, a car or travel. That range adds rent to other living costs, using Numbeo's Muscat figures last updated Sept. 22, 2026.

• Rent: About OMR 175 a month for a one-bedroom apartment outside the center and OMR 258 in it.
• Other costs: About OMR 339 a month for one person, excluding rent.
• Eating out: About OMR 2 for a meal at an inexpensive restaurant.
• Connectivity: About OMR 12 a month for a mobile plan with at least 10GB of data and about OMR 27 for home broadband of 60 Mbps or more.

Numbeo's figures are crowd-sourced, drawn from 738 entries by 62 contributors over the past 12 months. The residence routes add their own costs, from company setup to a property purchase.

Muscat

The capital has most of Oman's services, apartments and workspaces, which makes it the default base for a first stay. The city stretches along the coast, so living near work and shops cuts daily driving. The Muscat guide breaks down its districts.

Salalah

Oman's main southern city, in Dhofar governorate, suits nomads after a quieter coastal base far from the capital. Its summer monsoon season, the khareef, is its busiest time for visitors, so book summer stays early. The Salalah city guide has more.

Oman's mobile internet ranks among the world's fastest. The Speedtest Global Index for August 2026 put its median mobile download speed at about 169 Mbps, 13th among the countries it ranks. Median fixed broadband was about 107 Mbps.

That makes a local SIM or eSIM a dependable backup for video calls. Check the fixed-line speed in any rental before committing to a long stay.

Coworking

Expect coworking spaces and serviced offices to be concentrated in Muscat. In Salalah and smaller towns, plan on working from a rental, a hotel or a cafe.

Oman has no personal income tax in force, but a new law takes effect in 2028.

• Current status: None in force. The Personal Income Tax Law (Royal Decree 56/2025) takes effect at the start of 2028 and taxes individuals whose total income exceeds OMR 42,000 a year at 5%.
• Rate: 5% on the part of total income above OMR 42,000 a year.
• Tax residency test: More than 183 days in Oman in a year, continuous or intermittent, makes a person tax resident, Omani or not.

Residence status matters. A resident's total income includes amounts received in Oman or abroad, while a non-resident is taxed only on amounts received in Oman, according to the Tax Authority's FAQ.

What to check

Nomads planning long stays from 2028 should count their days in Oman and check how their home country treats the same income. The Tax Authority's page on the new law is the place to watch for its executive regulations.

• Arrival: Visa-free visitors should carry proof of the return ticket, hotel booking, health insurance and funds that the Foreign Ministry lists as entry conditions.
• Health cover: Arrange travel health insurance that covers treatment and repatriation. Extreme heat has caused deaths in Oman from dehydration and heat exhaustion, UK government travel advice warns.
• Alcohol: Visitors can drink in licensed venues such as hotels and restaurants. Drinking or being drunk in public is illegal.
• Other laws: Drug penalties are severe, even for residual amounts. Same-sex sexual activity is illegal, per the same UK advice.
• Dress and Ramadan: Clothing in public should cover the tops of the arms and the legs to below the knee. During Ramadan, eating, drinking or smoking in public in daytime isn't allowed, including in a car.
• ID: Carry a copy of the passport's photo page and keep the original somewhere safe.
• Emergencies: Call 9999 for an ambulance, fire or police.