Car Hire Theft in the UAE and Oman

At the end of last week there was a back log of drivers who got stuck at the Oman / Abu Dhabi border because they were not aware of these rules.
Javid Gul, operations manager for Sahab Rent-a-Car in Abu Dhabi, said: “One of my customers used to go to Oman, but then one day she told me that she got stuck at the border and she was not allowed to pass”.
An Abu Dhabi customs officer at Al Ain’s border with Mezyad, who wished to remain nameless, said that the rule requiring proof of rental registration, Oman car insurance, and the permission letter had existed for at least five years but had not previously been strictly enforced.

Johnson Thomas, a senior agent with Fast Rent a Car in Abu Dhabi, said: “Those who wish to go from here to Oman must obtain our permission to take the car.”

“Without permission they should not cross the border, because what if there is an accident? If you don’t have permission, you’ll be sent back”.

Car rental firms have reported strict standards by some border guards who are refusing anything other than an original letter rather than a fax or copy.

Thrifty Car Rental Abu Dhabi service manager Kamaiya Thakaar said: “Before we were sending the papers by fax but in the last few months some of the border guards have been saying that they do not accept faxes. Instead they need to see the original No Objection Certificate.”

In response to this problem the car rental company Budget has started to include NOC letters with Oman insurance papers.

Similarly Hertz car rental company has urged their customers to give them a full day’s notice of their desire to take a car across the border.

In other news Comprehensive Car Hire, a car rental and vehicle leasing company in Swaziland South Africa, has gone into a joint venture with the American company Air Transport Group Holdings. Air Transport Holdings is based in the United States southern cities of Miami and Atlanta.