The Post Office will not deliver post to individual homes. So if you want to post to be sent to you from home then you will need to be sent to the office of one of the breadwinners in a family, or sent to P.O. Box. It costs only a nominal fee per year to have your own P.O. Box. However the only challenge with this is that you have to have a residence Visa first before you can apply for a P.O. Box.
The post office is located in the centre of Al Ain at what is called the Clock Tower Roundabout. Though there is no tower… and no roundabout (though there used to be one at the junction until they replaced it a couple of years or so ago with traffic lights)…
The post isn’t 100% reliable. Two months ago my in-laws sent an envelope containing some football cards for our children, and I ordered two books to be sent from the UK. Neither package arrived.
To get to the PO Boxes you go in the doors with the sticking out canopy above them which you can see on the far left of the photo above. The boxes are located on 2 floors connected by an escalator. Each box has a unique number like 69975, and all the boxes are in numerical order, so you’ll have fun finding your box the first time as you hunt down different corridors!…
When you sign up you will be given 3 keys for your PO Box which you can access from first thing in the morning to late at night, 7 days a week.
I just moved here, I want to send a gift home, can I mail a package without having a resident visa and what is the cost approx.
Hi Angela,
Yes you can mail packages without having a resident’s visa — as far as I’m aware! I have no idea of the cost as it all depends on the weight of your gift, but in my experience prices are similar to the prices I’d pay in the UK to send to Al AIn.
Chris
Hello,
I was wondering about receiving items such as registered packages,Ebay items etc. Firstly, do they have to be opened in front of a customs officer, or would be the process?
Secondly how frequently do packages go ‘missing’ that you know of generally?
John
Hi John,
When I have received a parcel, it was passed to 2 ladies on the corner desk and they opened the parcel there and then to check inside.
I haven’t had any packages go missing, and I’ve had quite a few accessories for my iPad and iPhone come from China for me.
Chris