Can’t Get an Exit Visa? Don’t Try This

TABUK, 18 September 2007 — Anyone who works (legally) in the Kingdom knows about the exit visa: Namely that to leave the country requires permission from your employer and a clearance by the government. This is ostensibly to prevent criminals from fleeing the country, but it can also be a snag for travelers who don’t budget their time accordingly. An Egyptian man decided to attempt to smuggle his wife and children out of the Kingdom because his wife’s sponsor (she was working as a university teacher) refused to facilitate her visa. Egyptian customs officials discovered the human contraband in the trunk of the man’s vehicle, a local daily reported.