Besides the Obvious

UAE-Oman border crossing by car!? Yes, here we are to help you. In this article we summarise our experiences how was to cross the boarder by a car that we rented in Abu Dhabi, from the UAE to Oman and coming back. We had chosen two different routes, to be able to make a round trip in Oman, hence we needed to cross the border in two different places. On the way there from UAE to Oman via Al Ain & Mazyad, while the way back from Oman to UAE via Khatmat Milaha & Kalba.

• Read more about Oman travel experiences here.
• While, you can check our UAE travel stories here.

From UAE to Oman via Al Ain & Mazyad

The Mazyad crossing is just the other side of Al Ain, the largest inland city in the UAE. If you have the time, it’s worth stopping here and exploring the city. Keep in mind that Al Ain has many borders with Oman – but not all of them are open for expats. Some of them accepts only residents, so it doesn’t make any sense to queue at those. At the moment (2022 summer) we were there, expats could cross at Khatim Al Shikla and Mezyad only.

Fees

• At the UAE border, you will need to pay an exit fee of 35 AED. Card payments are usually accepted, though it’s a good idea to also carry cash, in case the card machine is not working.

Border procedures

• You will need to park your car, get in the departure hall, wait for your turn, show your passport, car registration, car insurance documents, and pay the fee.
• Then you will get your stamp that you are leaving the UAE.
• Once done you can get back to your car and drive to the Omani part of the border.
• Here you need to park your car again, get in the arrival hall and present all your documents.
• They will ask about your VISA – make sure you are updated about your country – Omani entry requirements, as sometimes at the border the officers are not. We also needed to explain that both of us are from the European Union hence our countries are exempt from entry visas to the Sultanate for a period of 14 days. Read more about the entry options here.
• Once they checked all your documents, you will get the entry stamp to your passport and you are free to proceed.

Notes

• Always read about the latest COVID-19 related requirements to exit or enter any country. In the summer of 2022, when we landed in Abu Dhabi it was not mandatory to have PCR test on arrival – if you are vaccinated. To cross to Oman, it was not needed either. But regulations are often changing there, so make sure you are up to date.
• Never take any pictures about any part of the border or anyone at the border.

From Oman to UAE via Khatmat Milaha & Kalba

Fees

• There is no fee to exit Oman.

Border procedures

• You will need to park your car, get in the departure hall, wait for your turn, show your passport, car registration, car insurance documents, and then you will get your stamp that you are leaving Oman.
• Once done you can get back to your car and drive to the UAE part of the border.
• Here you need to park your car again, get in the arrival hall and present all your documents.
• Once they checked all your documents, you will get the entry stamp to your passport and you are free to proceed back to UAE.
• We even received Arabic coffee from the officers, while waiting.

Notes

• Always read about the latest COVID-19 related requirements to exit or enter any country. In the summer of 2022, when we landed in Abu Dhabi it was not mandatory to have PCR test on arrival – if you are vaccinated. To cross to Oman, it was not needed either. To come back from Oman, neither. But regulations are often changing there, so make sure you are up to date.
• Never take any pictures about any part of the border or anyone at the border.

Checklist – UAE & Oman Border Crossing

Things to keep in mind

• The road conditions are overall good, but there might be sand on the road at the desert areas, so it’s better to have a 4-wheel-car for your own safety. But you can also complete the route with a normal car, but be aware that you need to lower your speed once you see the sand dunes and try to avoid to driving into them, it’s always better to overcome them from the side.

• You can meet camels next to road. Especially in Oman. They are usually not on the roads, but it can happen. Go as slow as possible to overcome them. Most likely they won’t bother, but just to be on the safe side.

Rent a car in the Middle East

IMPORTANT: Not all car hire companies in UAE will allow you to drive their cars into Oman. If you’re planning to hire a car in UAE, you must check with the hire company that they’re happy for it to be taken to Oman. 

In comparison: to rent a car in Europe is usually very easy and a super quick procedure. (Sometimes though you can hear some nightmare stories about car rentals there too!) You book the chosen vehicle, and the same day you have the confirmation. Then once at the place, you just go to the rental car office and after a bit of paper work you have the car and you are ready to drive. On the Middle East is not that quick.

Already with the booking – we needed to wait, call, ask back several times about the rental, if we can cross the UAE – Oman border or not, what kind of premises we need, and so on. Many times, proactively. So this is what we suggest for you too, don’t wait for them & don’t lose patience, just keep chasing the rental car office as long as you have all your necessary confirmations.

Once you landed and ready to pick up your car, be ready to wait a lot. Don’t lose patience if they ask for the same things that you have already agreed via e-mail and on phone before. Or if they don’t know about the requests or the details (like you want to cross to Oman) that you have agreed before via the booking. Just have all documents with you printed out and help them to speed up the procedure as much as possible.

Omani car insurance

This is the most important document that you will need to cross to Oman. By law it is mandatory for every vehicle to have third party liability insurance. During your entire stay there you will need to have Omani car insurance for your car.

There are several options to choose from – think ahead which one you will need and make sure you communicate clearly to your car rental office to purchase this insurance for you in time.

• 1 week permit, for that we paid 73,75 EUR. (Information from 2022 July).
• 1 month permit – Starting from first day of the month and ending on the last day of the month. So it is not valid for any random 30 days in between. If you buy this on the 15th of the month, it will also end on the 31st of the month. And you need to buy another one starting from the 1st of the next month.

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