Monday, July 13, 2009

Buying cars... more red tape!

OK, I live in Dubai but my company that sponsors me is in Abu Dhabi.  Therefore my visa is issued out of Abu Dhabi.

But its all one country right?  The United Arab Emirates...

Well, you're wrong!  In all matters such as residency visas, drivers licences and car registration, you have to go back to your "home" emirate each time and for me that's Abu Dhabi.

In Australia, if you're a Queenslander living in Sydney, can you imagine having to register your car in Brisbane.  Can you imagine taking out your insurance policy in Brisbane.  Can you imagine your drivers license having to remain a Queensland one and that you MUST renew it in Queensland?  That is what it is like here.  Even though I live in Dubai, all my official documentation must come from Abu Dhabi.  Now its 1000 kms between Sydney and Brisbane and I can be thankful that Dubai to Abu Dhabi is only 150km but its still a fair hike.

Now I have bought this car off an Aussie who lives and works in Dubai.  Car has Dubai plates, and he's had it comparatively easy because he is all in one Emirate.  To buy the car, I have to buy insurance first and then physically front to the Dubai RTA to transfer the ownership.  In Australia, the purchaser takes the rego papers signed by the seller, but here we both have to front up and fill in the paperwork in the Dubai RTA.  But that's just to transfer the ownership of the car from him to me.

But for me to register the car, I then need to drive the car 150km to Abu Dhabi to the Abu Dhabi RTA and register the car and get a new licence plate despite the fact that the car will be garaged in Dubai and will be Niki's car in which she will drive around our local community.  Only rarely will the car travel to Abu Dhabi.

Its a nightmare bureaucratically but that's the joys of living in the Emirates... they're just not that "United"

4 comments:

fool said...

How is this any different than Nuffle fucking me everytime I need a simple GFI (with reroll) to win a game? :P

Anonymous said...

you win games?
OB

Clay said...

LOL, on a side note. I bought the new Blood Bowl PC game from Cyanide and in my first game, to score on the half time bell...

GFI... 1

Reroll.... 1

EPIC FAIL.

I felt right at home ;-)

fool said...

Not usually, but when I'm playing against poor competition (i.e. Oldbugman) I do...