E-service for transfer of expat visas in Oman goes live and what to expect

An e-service was launched on Tuesday that allows employers to transfer expatriate employees to a new employer without the need for a review from the Ministry of Manpower (MoM).

The ministry unveiled the service as part of its efforts to strengthen its e-governance initiatives that will benefit both employers and employees in the private sector, including expatriate workers.

“The new service will enable an employer to transfer the service of a non-Omani worker residing in the Sultanate, to another employer registered as (on the job), provided the new employer has a work permit,” said a source at the ministry.

“All transactions can be conducted online under the new service, eliminating the need for both parties to visit the ministry,” said the source.

The procedures to be followed are:

• The employer should enter the licence number, ID details and date of birth of the expat seeking a transfer.
• The new employer should approve details, including the date of expiry of the worker’s ID.
• The new employer should print the form and visit the ROP for completing visa-related procedures.
• The new employer should login on to the online portal and pay a transfer fee of RO 5.
• Subsequently, the employee should undergo a medical check-up and visit the ROP’s office to obtain a new resident ID card.
• While expatriates in general welcomed the move as it may help prevent illegal recruitments, they were slightly disappointed that it is difficult to change jobs without the approval of the current employer

This news is making a noise all over the social media starting yesterday as of date of publication. So what really is all about? The procedure of transfer is an old and existing one they just make it online to make things easier and let the process to be done by the employer and no need to visit the Ministry of Manpower office to file such transfer.

Keep in mind that this is not related to NOC, transferring you as an employee to another employer is a decision and approved by your current employer.