Oman has upped the ante to have its citizens exempt from visa requirements in Europe’s Schengen area after UAE citizens were last month granted a visa waiver for short-term stays.
Schengen visas are valid for 26 European countries, with the UAE the first Arab nation to receive a visa exemption.
Omani citizens have reportedly urged the government, represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to put pressure on the European Union to facilitate the Schengen Visa for Omanis, the Times of Oman reported.
A source at the Ministry reportedly confirmed that Oman was trying to reach a formal agreement for the abolition of Schengen visas for Omani nationals, or simplify the visa process.
A number of Omani citizens and residents said they faced difficulties in obtaining a Schengen visa, claiming that the procedures were complicated.
“Schengen visa procedures take at times more than two months, forcing travellers to change plans or cancel trips to the area,” Omani citizen Khaled Al Amri was quoted as saying.
However, the Schengen visa was not appropriate if a traveller wished to remain in a Schengen member state for a period longer than three months, take up employment or establish a business or trade.
“Another complexity faced by Omani citizens is that some embassies require a visa holder to first enter the particular European country that issued the visa and then move to any other European country,” government sector employee Saleh Al Sheedi said.
The owner of a Muscat tourist company said that travellers’ documents piled up at the European embassies mainly because staff numbers were small at visa departments.
“The minimum time it takes to get an appointment at any EU country embassy is one month,” he said.
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