British Expats - Hauled over coals at Hatta

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Hauled over coals at Hatta

Thoroughly unpleasant experience while doing the monthly visa run to Oman yesterday.

Left the kids (4yo and 1yo) at home with their mum as (a) I had no probs a couple of months ago when I did the run by myself (after a friend assured us that it was ok) and (b) they had been sick all week with this cold thingy going around.

Shoulda taken the kids.

Got out of UAE and in/out of Oman without incident. When I returned to the UAE checkpoint and handed over the passports for stamping, the conversation with the officer went like this:

'Where is children?'
'They are at home in Dubai with their mother. They are sick'
(Non-comprehending look from officer)
'Where is car?'
'Parked around the corner'
'Show me car'
(He came out of the shack and I took him to the car)
'Where is children?'
'In Dubai with mother - they are sick'
'Come'

I was led into an office inside the shack, where a higher official came with gold-fringed braid dangling on breast pocket and epaulettes. I could see immediately that this was a catch-and-kill kinda guy as opposed to tag-and-release. Sure enough he assumed head-kicker mode at once as he repeated questions aggressively about whereabouts of kids. Which I answered truthfully again, still wondering what the hell the problem was.

He then launched into an astonishing tirade about how I had lied and cheated at the UAE exit post (WTF?? they could clearly see the car was empty), at the Oman checkpoint (where they've never given a hoot), and now had lied to them by saying the children were in the car when they were not.

No amount of reassurances from me (not that I was ever able to complete even a few words without him interrupting time and again) about how there had been a misunderstanding could convince this guy I was anything but a liar and a criminal. He started talking about how HE was the authority and would now be making a report to my embassy and have me deported. Again, my attempted pleadings of total innocence were a total waste of time.

By this stage a few other officers had gathered in the room and there were high-fives and man kisses all round in a display of communal joy at having nabbed someone for the day.

The head-kicker eventually got someone to make photocopies of the (unstamped) passports, and barked strict instructions at me to go and fetch the children immediately and come straight back to the checkpoint. Realising I had no other option, back I went to Dubai, picked up the kids and headed out to Hatta again.

Of course, there had been a complete shift change by the time I got back to the checkpoint and so no-one knew WTF I was talking about when I requested to see this head-kicker dude again so that he may eyeball my sick children and cancel his report.

Anyway, passports got stamped and I drove wearily back to Dubai, with the wee boy screaming for his Mum for half the journey. I've had better days.

I know most on this forum would know the score on these visa runs already, but for any newbies reading this, don't take any chances: make sure that every passport holder is in the car.