Oman to toughen tourist visa rules for Southeast Asian women to curb human trafficking

In a move to crack down on human trafficking, Oman will toughen rules for granting tourist visas to women from Southeast Asia from November.

This tough measure comes in the wake of Omani police finding a rise in the incidence of illegitimate activities indulged in women from East Asian nations entering Oman on tourist visas.

The Gulf News quotes the immigration department at the ROP (Royal Oman Police) as stating that henceforth, women from this region would need to have a round-trip ticket along with a booking reservation for a stay at a four-star hotel to be eligible for a 10-day tourist visa. Currently, the tourist visa allows people to say for up to 30 days.

Meanwhile, these women would also need to leave the Sultanate of Oman for a month in case they want to be eligible for reapplying for a tourist visa.

According to an ROP official, hundreds of women from Southeast Asia were rounded up for indulging in unlawful activities.

As photographs and videos featuring these women in Shisha cafés and at other places in Muscat are reported having gone viral, many citizens of this country urged authorities to act against them.

If you are planning to visit Oman, approach Y-Axis to avail guidance to file for a visa from one of its 19 offices located in all of India’s metros.