A formal meeting between Philippine and Omani officials is set for next week to take up the HIV certificate requirement that has been blocking Filipino tourists from boarding flights to the Sultanate — a policy that was put in place without any official notification to Manila.
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed Friday that it has already moved to challenge the requirement, telling the Oman Embassy in Manila in no uncertain terms that the rule should be lifted. “The DFA expects a positive outcome given the good and strong relationship between the Philippines and Oman,” the department said.
The Omani Embassy, in the course of those discussions, drew a boundary around who the requirement actually covers: the HIV certificate is being demanded only from Filipinos entering Oman through the visa-free entry facility, and those who secured work visas are not subject to it. That clarification, however, does little to address the Filipinos who had already been stopped at airline counters in recent weeks — travelers on tourist arrangements who were not told about the requirement before arriving at the airport.
The Philippine Embassy in Muscat had earlier confirmed it was aware of the problem. It received reports that Filipino passengers were being turned away from flights, but said Omani authorities had not provided any formal notice that a new entry condition had been put in place.
Oman is now treating the requirement as a live policy question. The DFA said the Sultanate is giving the matter serious consideration ahead of next week’s meeting, which is expected to determine whether the rule stands, is modified, or is scrapped entirely.
