In an advisory, the Indian Embassy in Muscat has requested all Indian nationals residing in Oman who have overstayed their visit in the country for any reason to avail of the amnesty provided by the Government of Oman.

‘The Sultanate of Oman has declared amnesty for those who have not renewed their resident card and visa, absconders, and who have been staying without valid a visa in Oman. Such persons can leave Oman without payment of fine,’ the embassy stated. 

‘Keeping in mind the financial hardships faced by the Indian citizens in Oman who wish to avail the amnesty, the Government of India has approved issue of Emergency Certificates (EC) free of charge for those who do not possess a valid passport,’ the embassy added. 

The EC application fee, Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) charges and BLS service fee will be waived off for those applicants who do not have the means to pay these fees.

Indian citizens who wish to avail the facility should follow the given guidelines: Register in the Ministry of Labour (MoL) portal as per the guidelines issued by MoL and Embassy of India. After getting approval (Approval will be shown as ‘Waiting for completion of deportation’) from MoL, the individual can approach the BLS main office in Muscat or its collection centres (Global Money Exchange offices in Salalah, Nizwa, Duqm, Sur, Sohar, Ibri, Buraimi, Shinas and Khasab) during working hours to apply for EC with an undertaking (Annexure-A), original expired/damaged/lost passport/ EC or its copy and two latest passport size photographs.

In order to avoid crowding at the collection centres in the nine locations, social workers are authorised to submit the applications in bulk at the collection centres after getting the signatures of the individuals verified by consular agents of that area.

The EC will be issued in three-four working days depending on the number of applications.

This facility can be availed during the amnesty period only – till Dec 31, 2020.

For any enquiries on registration and issue of EC, contact the Indian Embassy through email or helplines.