Hi,
I have reserved a vehicle at a rental office for our trip in Oman and I have transmitted the necessary information including Passeport details. Now they ask me to scan the passport and to send it to them.
I am just wondering if this is a standard procedure and if I should worry or not.
Thank you for your help,
Brigitte
Hi Brigitte,
In all Arab countries, providing copies of your documents is something completely normal. The same goes for photos. When I first moved to UAE for example, I had to provide 6 copies of my passport as well as a total of 18 photos to get all papers issued from visa to residency to medical insurance. It is such a normal thing to do that people stopped questioning the whole idea of it. Even when I applied for a PO box I had to deliver 2 copies of my passport as well as 2 photos. In most western countries, this is exactly where data protection laws or guidelines would kick in, yet don't expect anything like this in a Gulf country.
Now, when renting a car in Oman they will categorically scan or copy your passport and driving license as part of their normal process. The only thing I am wondering about is why they want to receive it prior to your rental. Are you renting with a big company or 'just' a small local one?
Send me a private message if you like.
As vonwerden said, it is common practice for everyone to take photocopies of documents/ID cards. I keep a stash of photocopies of my passport and residence card, as well as a bunch of passport photos. I don't think that either contain sensitive information, so I wouldn't be worried about it.