UAE residents who want to drive to Oman and Saudi Arabia in a hire car are being forced to secure written approval from car hire companies first, in the wake of a spate of car thefts, it was reported on Monday.
Car hire agents have urged people not set off on cross-border trips before obtaining a No Objection Certificates (NOC) from them, or risk being stopped and turned back by birder police.
They say the policy, which has existed for years but not enforced, has been reinstated in response to a surge in car theft among vehicles hired by people from Saudi and Oman, according to UAE daily The National.
Johnson Thomas, a senior agent with Fast Rent a Car in Abu Dhabi, said:“Those who wish to go to Oman must report to us to obtain our permission to take the car.”
“Without permission, then they should not cross the border, because what if there is an accident? If you don’t have permission, you’ll be sent back,” he warned.
However, many customers were unaware of the new policy and had been held for hours at border crossings because they did not have written approval to take the car out of the UAE, another agent added.
“One of my customers used to go to Oman, but then one day she said, ‘I’m stuck at the border and they will not allow me to pass’,” said Javid Gul, the operations manager for Sahab Rent-a-Car in the capital.
“She was waiting two hours there because it takes time to prepare and fax it through.”
An Abu Dhabi customs officer at Al Ain’s border with Mezyad said the rule requiring proof of rental registration, Oman car insurance, and the permission letter had existed for at least five years.
However, there is stil confusion over whether an original NOC lett eris needed or a faxed copy id sufficient.
The officer, who did not wish to be identified, said he would accept a faxed letter for UAE residents, as the policy was to prevent those form outside the UAE stealing cars.
“Mostly people from Saudi or Oman are taking cars and disappearing and we have to chase them with car tracking systems.”
But car rental firms have reported stricter standards by some border guards who are refusing anything other than an original letter.
Kamaiya Thakaar, manager for services at Thrifty Car Rental in Abu Dhabi said: “Before, we were sending the papers by fax because people would be calling from Dubai or Oman.”
“But in the last two or three months, they sometimes say they don’t accept faxes. They want to see the original NOC.”
Some rental companies such as Budget are now packaging NOC letters with Oman insurance papers.Others, such as Hertz have urged their customers to give them 24 hour notice of their intent to take the car across the border.
The Omani and Saudi Arabian embassies could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
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