Resident card holder has stayed outside Oman for more than 6 months

Hi The FamousGrouse,

To the best of my knowledge on this subject, your parents only need to be in Oman to renew their resident cards before it comes up for renewal.

I know of many parents who are holders of resident cards who come here only once every 2 years - stay for a few months, get their resident cards renewed and return to their home countries.

But knowing how the local authorities operate in an arbitrary manner, the rules may have been changed or amended. Your company PRO would be the best person to find out what's the latest from the department of immigration and residence status.

The expiry date on their residence cards is in January 2016 but they are being told that their visa is no longer valid as they have not returned to Oman within 6 months of their last departure.

This is a totally new information. I have never seen any such family valid visas that expires automatically in 6 months. The resident permit (For family) is usually granted for 2 years and that is the validity.

Adding what Mr. Sumitran said, please share more information as you get intouch with your  company's PRO and update us accordingly.

Thank you everyone for your timely responses.

I had a chat with my PRO and can confirm what you have already said. The 6-month rule is only applicable for the employee but does not apply for family. They can come and go with no restrictions.