Tobacco — Oman
What travelers need to know about tobacco in Oman. What is legal at home can be a serious crime here — each rule links to its official source.
Tobacco in Oman: restricted — there are real limits travelers must follow.
Plan on 200 cigarettes per traveller, not 400. Oman's Directorate General of Customs website still prints a 400-cigarette allowance, but Decision No. 110/2026 (August 2026) cut the exemption to 200 cigarettes and capped total personal belongings and gifts at OMR 300. The two official figures conflict — 200 is the safe number.
No fine is published for exceeding the cigarette allowance — this is a TAX consequence, not a penalty: quantity or value above the limit simply loses the exemption and attracts customs duty. Distinct and genuinely penal exposure is documented on the same traveller-services page for other conduct: attempting to bring in prohibited or restricted goods "shall be considered as smuggling offence according to the provisions of Articles (142-143) of the Common Customs Law of the GCC"; obstructing customs officers is punishable under Article 30 of the Executive Regulations; and failure to declare currency or precious metals above OMR 6,000 is an offence under Article 53 of the Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Law. No monetary amounts are stated for these and none is invented.
§ Directorate General of Customs, Royal Oman Police, "traveller services" — Exemptions and General Provisions (English; Arabic mirror at /ar/traveller-services/), UNDATED, prints 400. Conflicting LATER instrument: Royal Oman Police Decision No. 110/2026 art. 19 (Official Gazette No. 1659), as reported by Oman Observer (Ministry of Information, Sultanate of Oman), 5 August 2026 — omanobserver.om/article/1194007/oman/rop/oman-customs-outlines-duty-exemption-rules-for-personal-goods-gifts — which prints 200. Stricter figure published; conflict named.