Muscat: Resident children above the age of 10 years must have a resident card made in their name, according to the Royal Oman Police (ROP). "Every child above 10 years is supposed to have a resident card, the absence of which will attract fines on the sponsoring parent," said an official at the Passports and Residences Department of the ROP.
Most of the parents have been under the impression of the resident card being compulsory for children above 15 years of age but the reality is different from what many of the parents believed to be, an official from the department said.
Every expatriate who is resident in Oman must obtain a resident card within 30 days from the date of entry in Oman and the same is applicable to their children above the age of 10. The process to be followed to avail a new resident card for an adult expatriate is to visit the department with original passport, a letter from the company where he or she is working, and original and copies of the Ministry of Labour form after medical examination. And upon a payment of RO 6, one can get a resident card valid for one year; and RO 11 for two years. A fine of RO 10 will be charged for each month of delay in application for the card.
The same fine can be applied to children who have not made a resident card within the stipulated period. A resident card is made compulsory for children above the age of 10 for many reasons, according to the department. "First of all, having a resident card eases entry and exit processes at the airports and it is mandatory for all other official purposes," he said.
Additionally, the necessity of possessing the resident card has become more necessary after Oman stopped stamping visas on the passports in 2022 and all airports would ask for resident cards while travelling.
The ROP official further stated that these procedures are stipulated in the law and have been in effect for approximately two years, but many of the residents are not aware of the same and later, they find it difficult to understand that they have to pay a fine for not getting the resident card.
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