Alcohol is widely available in Oman and can be purchased at the airport, in hotels and bars and at licensed liquor shops around the country. However, there are strict laws regarding alcohol that have to be adhered to at all times.
At the airport, alcohol is limited to two bottles of wine or spirits or 24 cans of beer per person. The person purchasing the alcohol at the airport or anywhere else in Oman must be over the age of 21 years. The government grants alcohol licenses to certain restaurants, bars and night clubs.Almost all of these outlets are located within hotels and only a few independent places are dotted around Oman. Non-Muslim expatriates are allowed to purchase alcohol from licensed bottle stores, however they must carry a liquor license in order to do so.
If you have a residence visa and are a non-Muslim, you can apply for a liquor license and you are allowed to keep alcohol in your home. The amount of alcohol you are allowed to purchase from a retailer is directly related to your salary and you can spend only 10% of your monthly income on alcohol at the bottle store. In order to get the liquor license in Muscat, you have to follow the following procedure.
Go to the Ruwi Police Station or in Salalah CID Office with the following documents:
- Copy of passport & labour card
- Two passport-sized photos
- No Objection Certificate (NOC) from your employer
- Labor card application in original – copy returned after issuing labor card. This is to confirm basic salary as registered with the Ministry of Manpower
- Employment contract attested by the Ministry of Manpower to confirm employment and eligibility to apply for a permit
- Completed permit application (Which you can get there)
- If you are renewing your permit, bring your old permit with you
The application process is easy and your permit will be ready sooner than you think. The license is typically valid for a period of two years. When you want to renew it, just take the same documents along with your expired liquor license and get a new one.
Here is a infographic on how to get a license in 3 steps from OUA
