'Women don’t need NOC at Oman border'

In response to earlier reports of new travel restrictions imposed on UAE residents, especially female residents, traveling to Oman through the Dibba border checkpoint, Dibba Police Port has told Emirates 24|7 that UAE residents do not need a written permission from their sponsor (or a male relative in case of female travellers) before they can cross the Omani border.

“As per procedure usually tourist companies submit the passports of travellers to the Immigration Department, in order to complete the processes required.

“The Dibba Police Port Border Point does only check if, within the passport, a visit visa or resident visa is issued. There is no request of a letter for the concerned person to be shown, as no immigration is present at the border point.
“Police let the tourists or residents pass,” the Dibba Police Port said in a statement to Emirates 24|7.

Dibba border is one of the checkpoints where tourists from the UAE can enter Musandam, a popular leisure destination in Oman located in the north of the UAE.

Mostly on the weekends, leisure seekers book organised daily tours to this part of the Sultanate, where they can enjoy dhow cruises along the mountainous coastline.

Earlier reports had suggested that while travelers on a tourist visa to the UAE could cross the border without any complications, border crossings had recently become more complicated for UAE residents, according to several tourist companies.

“In the past, we were able to arrive at the border without prior arrangements. About 3-4 months ago, we were asked to send copies of the passports of travellers in advance. And, recently, we have been asked to present no-objection certificates (NOCs) from the sponsors of UAE residents,” said Tony Hajj, owner of UAE tourist company Xventures.

The same was claimed by Arabia Horizons, another company organizing tours to Dibba Musandam, although according to Aneihra, a reservation agent at the company, the NOC is only required from female UAE residents.

The new requirement caused great inconvenience, she said. “I think 50 per cent of our customers are not able to provide with an NOC on short notice. In some companies, preparation of such document takes time. And in some cases, companies do not like to provide the document at all.”

According to Hajj, many customers book the tour on short notice, which makes it impossible for them to provide an NOC on time. “Out of a 100 customers, maybe 5 are able to do so. We have had to cancel all our trips for this weekend, and for next weekend as well,” he lamented.

“It is not only the customers who are unable to provide with an NOC. Even if we had all the documents required, it would take us a lot of extra time at the border. The trip to Dibba only takes 5 hours. It does not make sense if half of this time is spent on the border,” he added.

Speaking to Sheesha Beach, an Oman-based dhow cruise tour operator dealing with many of the UAE tourist companies, the complications indeed seem to have taken place. However, the situation has just got better, said marketing manager Dylan Mangan.

“There was an outcry of many tourist companies in Oman, because these new requirements affected our businesses. It seems that this has helped improved the situation. Tourist companies can now cross the checkpoint without the NOC.”

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