Drive to Salalah – Few pointers needed
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Hi all,
I am planning a family drive to Salalah in first week of August. For the trip we are planning to have a night camp on Jabel Shams or Jabel Adkhar and explore the area before going further. I have following questions which I have been searching answers for but unable to find them. It will be great if the people who have done similar trip recently can share answers based on their experience.
1. The car I am planning to take is on finance. I have heard about getting NoC from bank if I want to take it out of the UAE but want to confirm if this is correct? Also do we need to get one everytime we plan a trip to Oman/outside UAE? Or can we use the same NoC every time? 😕
2. Which border post to use in Al Ain? As I have heard there are some only for GCC nationals and some for rest of us. Can any one please share the GPS coordinates of the correct post?
3. Apart from Oman visa fee, is there any exit fee to pay at UAE border post and how much is it? As we had to pay one at our trip to Musandam and not having correct change meant we had to wait over an hour before they had enough change in their till. X( . So would rather avoid this by having exact amount this time around..
4. I have dowloaded some KML files of trips to Salalah done by people but they all are about 4 years old. I will appriciate if anyone have done the trip recently and recorded their track can share the route? Also cordinates for any good camping spots on Jabel Shams or Jabel Adkhar will be very much welcomed. :ymhug:
:thanks:
Regards,
Adnan
Hi Adnan,
Sorry for late replying to your post but I was out of the country, yet better late than never. Regarding your inquiry above, and as I had lived in Oman for almost 5 years before coming to Dubai 3 years ago, I hope that my answers below would be of assistance to you.
1. The car I am planning to take is on finance. I have heard about getting NoC from bank if I want to take it out of the UAE but want to confirm if this is correct? Also do we need to get one everytime we plan a trip to Oman/outside UAE? Or can we use the same NoC every time? 😕
A1- Yes, you need an NOC in order to travel with the car to Oman, which needs to be obtained by your financer. Now is the letter used for once or multiple times, depends on the financers and your agreement with them. Some give the NOC for a fee and allows the option for you to determine the validity of the NOC, but on the other hand some don’t and prefer to give one NOC at a time.
2. Which border post to use in Al Ain? As I have heard there are some only for GCC nationals and some for rest of us. Can any one please share the GPS coordinates of the correct post?
A2 – If you are in Dubai, you are much better off going through Hatta border as it is much easier and straight forward road, but if you are in Abu Dhabi or Al Ain, you need to follow the Hili borders out of Al Ain, which would lead you straight to Buraimi then into Oman. Do not be confused, the distance between Hili border and the Oman immigration is not near, so don’t worry just drive on.
3. Apart from Oman visa fee, is there any exit fee to pay at UAE border post and how much is it? As we had to pay one at our trip to Musandam and not having correct change meant we had to wait over an hour before they had enough change in their till. X( . So would rather avoid this by having exact amount this time around..
A3- There is no fee to be paid for exiting the UAE. The visa fee for Oman varies from OMR 5 to OMR 20, depending on nationality and occupation as mentioned on UAE visa. Keep in mind that, you will need to get extra insurance for your car to extend coverage in Oman if you don’t have that already.
4. I have dowloaded some KML files of trips to Salalah done by people but they all are about 4 years old. I will appriciate if anyone have done the trip recently and recorded their track can share the route? Also cordinates for any good camping spots on Jabel Shams or Jabel Adkhar will be very much welcomed.
A4- If you are planning to visit Jebel Akhdar, kindly note that Royal Oman Police (ROP) have strict rules about vehicles and number of passengers per vehicle before allowing you to pass onto the hilly road. Descending, you will need to be on 4low gear, otherwise your brakes will overheat, so take that into consideration. As for Jebel Shams, there are not limitations, and honestly speaking, the camping site is just at the top of the mountain, so you wont need much coordinates as it is a straight forward road leading to the top of the mountain. Have some change on you as you will be invaded by the local kids living in Jebel Shams, I would suggest you keep some candy and juice to give and chase them away (That is what I always do when camping there). As well, beware of goats as they will munch through anything you leave outside your camp at night hahahahhaa. Heading to Salalah, there is only 1 road connecting it to Muscat, which is around 1000 Kms from Muscat, and about 750 Kms away from Jebel Shams/Nizwa. Oman has descent signage along the way so you shouldn’t face any issues. Once you reach Salalah, you can ask for directions to where you are heding.
I hope I was able to answer some of your inquiries, enjoy your trip and drive safe always. Feel free to contact me if you need any more details.
Cheers.
Sam.
Hey Sam,
Thanks for your detailed reply. I understand its Eid/summer holidays so wasn’t expecting it to be answered right away.. 🙂
My bank (Standard Chartered) is telling me that they don’t issue NOC so I am struggling to get one. I will try a different branch just in case the staff at branch I went to were being simply lazy.. If still nothing then I am tempted to try my luck by crossing without NOC.. :-\
Thanks again.
– Adnan
Guys, I have crossed border from Dubai to Oman several times without any NOC from BANK and was under loan that time.
Hi, I agree with Lashin, you dont need NOC for your vehicle. I have visited many times to MUscat through Hatta border in my car. Last time i visited in Oct 2014. I believe you require NOC if visiting KSA.
Dear Guys,
I am planning a road trip from Dubai to Salalah with family, want to know few points,1) I have a car which is on company name & it was finance from bank & lone is finished but still company had not taken the loan clearance certificate from bank.
A) So should I ask my company to give me NOC.
B) Also should I ask my company to get the loan clearance certificate from the bank.
2) my daughter passport is going to expire on 15th of November 2015, so is it possible to go on this passport or I must renew the passport now.
3) Any other important points you guys want to share will be appreciated.
quote Fazal:Dear Guys,
I am planning a road trip from Dubai to Salalah with family, want to know few points,1) I have a car which is on company name & it was finance from bank & lone is finished but still company had not taken the loan clearance certificate from bank.
A) So should I ask my company to give me NOC.
B) Also should I ask my company to get the loan clearance certificate from the bank.
2) my daughter passport is going to expire on 15th of November 2015, so is it possible to go on this passport or I must renew the passport now.
3) Any other important points you guys want to share will be appreciated.Hi Fazal,
I just did the same trip a few weeks back. There is no issue regarding the mortgage. This is to say no one will hassle you about this. The fact that your car is not in your name though may pose an issue. For whatever reason, there are many checks leaving UAE, entering Oman, and then at various military/police check points depending on where you go. They often ask for your car registration. I can’t say for sure that they were comparing the name on the registration to my passport but they surely checked it. To be on the safe side you should get an NOC from your company allowing you to take the car to Oman.
Regarding your daughter’s passport, you will be applying for (most likely and depending on what passport you hold) a 10 day visit/tourist visa. As such, this visa expires before your daughter’s passport expires so you should be safe. I had this same issue with Oman a year ago. My passport was actually expiring in 20 days. So they would not give me a 30 day visa…only a 10. It worked out for my needs anyway and their rationale and approach made sense. As long as the visa expires before the passport you should be fine.
You will have a blast. I camped everywhere (no hotels) so there is lots to see and many places to camp if that is what you are planning. Watch out for camels…the are everywhere. Also, the 1000km road from Muscat to Salalah makes SZR look like a village lane so take care.
Enjoy, have fun, and be safe!!
Matt
Fazal
the general rule for GCC resident visa is a minimum of 6 months expiry of passport and a minimum of 6 months of residency and a minimum of 3 months for expiry of the current resident visa.
However, Oman is very accomodative on these counts and I have seen visas being granted for even 3 months of passport and visa exiry. what you can do is to go to the Oman Embassy/Consulate in AbuDhabi/Dubai. carry a copy of all passport and local visa page. they will charge you AED 50/- per head and will give you a 28 day visa starting from the date of issue. The visa office in Dubai works from 8am to 1pm or so and they usually give the visa on the same day. this will save you from the interpretation/mood 🙂 of the Immigration Officer on duty at the border post.
FYI, the Oman consulate is next to the Indian Consulate and opposite to the new Mosque under construction behind the Foreign Affairs
Hi Fazal, to cross oman border you only need oman insurance. Cross through Hatta border, whether it’s on loan, Co. Car….no…issue…for the visa process follow Ajay…
HI Guys,
Thanks to you all for the information provided, really appreciated,
Thanks & best regards
Fazal
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