UK ETA for Omani citizens
Omani nationals were among the very first travellers required to hold a UK ETA — the Gulf states entered the scheme ahead of Europe and North America. If you have visited the UK since then you may already hold one; if it was issued more than two years ago, or on a passport you have since replaced, it has expired.
UK ETA for Oman — key facts
- Omani citizens do need a UK ETA before travelling to the United Kingdom.
- An ETA is not a visa and does not guarantee entry — a Border Force officer makes the final decision on arrival.
Verified against GOV.UK on 2026-10-12. UK ETA Gateway is a private agency, not the UK Government.
What is different for Omani travellers
The ETA requirement began applying to Omani passport holders on 22 February 2024. Because an ETA lasts only 2 years, anyone who complied at the start has an authorisation that has already expired — this is the single most common reason an Omani traveller is stopped at check-in believing they are covered.
The fee is set by the Home Office in pounds sterling, so you are charged £49 and your bank converts it from Omani rial (OMR) at its own rate. We do not add a currency markup, and nobody — including us — can discount the £20 government portion.
A note on your name: Arabic names are transliterated differently by different authorities. Copy the Latin-script spelling exactly as it is printed in the machine-readable zone of your Omani passport — not the spelling on your ticket, your bank card, or an older passport.
Applying from Oman
Oman entered the scheme on 22 February 2024 with the rest of the Gulf, so the first Omani ETAs lapsed in February 2026. Two years passes quietly, and the Home Office does not write to remind you.
Your ETA is attached to one passport number. An Omani passport renewal between trips ends the authorisation on the old document, even if the approval itself had months left to run.
Omani travellers often combine a British trip with onward travel in Europe. Worth knowing: an ETA covers the United Kingdom, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and nothing else. It gives you no rights in the Schengen area, and the EU's own entry system is separate and not yet accepting applications.
Every traveller in the party needs an individual ETA linked to their own passport, infants included. There is no family rate, and no one can discount the government's share of the fee.
What Omani travellers need
- A biometric Omani passport that will still be valid when you travel
- A digital photo meeting the GOV.UK standard
- An email address and a payment card
- Truthful answers on criminal convictions and past immigration refusals
You do not need flight bookings, hotel reservations, bank statements or an invitation letter.
Every Omani traveller needs their own ETA, including infants — there is no family application and no child discount. How ETAs work for children and families.
If you also hold British or Irish citizenship you cannot apply for an ETA at all — travel on that passport instead. Full requirements · Common questions.
Oman at a glance
- ETA requiredYes
- Official Home Office fee£20
- Our service fee£29
- Total through us£49
- Validity2 years or passport expiry
- Maximum stay per visit6 months
- Typical decisionMinutes; allow 3 working days
- Number of entriesUnlimited
Or apply yourself at gov.uk/eta for £20.