Arabic-language reference guide to labour clearance, the work visa, resident card and sponsor transfer in Oman under the 2023 Labour Law (RD 53/2023). General legal information, not legal advice; verify with Omani counsel or ROP. The old 2-year re-entry ban / NOC was abolished from 2021.
In Oman, the employer obtains a Ministry of Labour clearance and a ROP employment visa, then the worker gets a resident card (usually up to 2 years). The old No-Objection-Certificate and the 2-year re-entry ban were abolished by ROP Decision 157/2020 (effective January 2021), so an expat can change employer without an NOC in defined cases. Withholding a passport is illegal; the dependent-sponsorship salary threshold was cut to OMR 150 in February 2023.
