Pakistan and Oman Exempt Official Passports From Visas

The Pakistan Oman visa exemption applies to Pakistani holders of diplomatic, special, official and service passports. It was signed in Islamabad and it does not cover an ordinary passport.

In this article we set out who can use it, and the two details that are still missing. Here is everything you need to know.

Who the Pakistan Oman visa exemption leaves out

The agreement is mutual, and the travellers named on the Pakistan side are holders of diplomatic, special, official and service passports. Ordinary Pakistani passport holders are not included. The announcement says the agreement does not provide visa-free entry for general tourism.

It was signed during the eighth Pakistan-Oman Joint Ministerial Commission meeting in Islamabad, with senior officials from both countries present. The stated aims are to facilitate official travel and to strengthen bilateral relations.

The effective date has not been announced. Nor has the permitted duration of stay.

Why it matters

A visa exemption is easy to misread as a rule for every passport. This one is limited to official categories, and even those holders do not yet have a date or a length of stay.

• The countries are Pakistan and Oman
• The document is a mutual visa exemption
• The passports covered are diplomatic, special, official and service
• Ordinary passports are excluded
• Tourism is not covered
• The signing was in Islamabad, at the eighth Joint Ministerial Commission

What travellers still do not know

1. The date the exemption starts.
2. How long a stay may last.
3. Whether any fee or prior notice remains.
4. Any change for ordinary passport holders. None is in this agreement.

What happens next

A start date and a permitted length of stay would tell official travellers when the exemption is real. We will update this article if either is announced.

Our verdict

The Pakistan Oman visa exemption, signed in Islamabad, covers diplomatic, special, official and service passports. Ordinary passports are outside it, and neither the effective date nor the allowed stay has been announced.

Follow for more updates.