Hatta Customs Centre plays a major role in enhancing trade and passengers movement between Dubai and Sultanate of Oman and has become a focal point for land transport between the Sultanate and other GCC States due to the services and facilities it offers to traders, goods and trucks.
Hatta Border Post has become one of the most important border crossings linking UAE with Oman as a result of the increasing movement of products, goods and people through the border post giving it a growing role in enhancing trade and tourism movement between the two countries.
The significance of Hatta Border Port Crossing is increasing at the time Dubai’s trade with Oman has been witnessing a considerable growth during the past years, registering a 183% growth of AED10.5 billion during the first six months of 2012 compared with AED3.7 billion in the same period last year.
The value of Dubai’s imports from Oman and its exports and re-exports to the Sultanate amounted to AED2.1 billion, AED3.3 billion and AED5.1 billion respectively during the first six months of 2012.
Dubai Customs is keen on strengthening its cooperation with various government agencies in the border crossing and securing all the necessary facilities to companies and individuals which will contribute to enhance the trade and tourism movement between UAE and Oman.
Moreover, Dubai Customs works on developing the competence of its employees and inspectors capabilities operating at Hatta Border Post through enrolling them in specialized training courses on body language, inspection of goods, containers and trucks, intellectual property rights, manner of dealing with passengers in addition to providing them with the latest scanning and inspection equipment.
All these factors have considerably contributed to accelerating and facilitating the cargo traffic through Hatta Border Port Crossing as well as encouraging traders to use the port for bringing in goods from the Sultanate to UAE and vice versa.
According to the statistics provided by Hatta Customs Center, the number of cleared customs declarations during the first six months of 2012 reached 150.000 as compared to 86.000 declarations in the same period last year, representing a growth of 74.5%. These figures include export, import, re-export, transit and temporary admission declarations.
The number of passengers and visitors arriving in the country through the border post reached 480.000 during the first half of 2012, while the number of passengers` vehicles and buses arriving in the country through the border crossing amounted to 203.000 and 1123 buses during the same period. The number of trucks reached more than 89.000 during the first six months of 2012 compared with the 74.000 trucks that entered the country during the same period last year.
Dubai Customs exerts contestant efforts to improve the customs procedures at Hatta Border Post and provides further facilitations to traders using the crossing for the passage of different types of products; namely vegetables and fruits (in particular muskmelon, cabbage, lettuce, tomato, eggplants and banana), perfumes, electrical and electronic appliances, sand and stones used in building, empty cans (glass and plastic), scraps (aluminium, plastic, steel and paper), foodstuff, carbonated soft drinks, juice, milk, marble, vehicles, ceramic, engines, heavy equipment, cement and fodder.
Dubai Customs works in collaboration with it strategic stakeholders at the border post, including Ministry of Environment and Water, General Headquarters of Dubai Police, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai Municipality as well as Hata Police Department, on delivering quality services to traders using the crossing, ensure legitimacy of the imported goods and control restricted goods (such as food items) that undergo testing with maintaining at the same time a tendency to simplify and accelerate customs clearing procedures in such a way that will contribute to developing and boosting trade movement between UAE and Oman. The spirit of teamwork among all public agencies has had positive reflections on the quality of services offered.
Dubai Customs organized last June a several events at Hatta area on the occasion of World Anti-Drugs Day with the participation of a number of government strategic stakeholders at the border post, Royal Police of Oman and Wajaja Customs Border Post of the Sultanate of Oman.
These events come as part of Dubai Customs` efforts to prevent drugs trafficking and breaking through the society being the first defence line against prohibited and counterfeited products.
Further, Dubai Customs organized last year various entertainment and community events and programmes for Hatta people as part of its social responsibility, enhancement of disseminating awareness about customs` role in protecting the local community and facilitating trade movement.