Revalidating the liquor licence

I understand that one must have a liquor licence to drink alcohol in Dubai. I do. It’s a Muslim country and I’m grateful that we’re allowed our daily dose of New World Sauvignon, rather than having to rely on the homemade gin those poor expats in Saudi have to choke down.

The liquor licence application form. I can fill it out with my eyes closed these days

The liquor licence isn’t expensive, but it has to be renewed every year. This involves a form that needs not only to be filled out by us, but stamped by DH’s company and signed by his boss – they have to agree that it’s okay for him (aka me) to drink at home. Then the form has to be submitted along with passport photos of each of us, passport copies of each of us, DH’s employment contract and the tenancy or sales agreement for our home (this does irk me – surely they have a stack of these now given we’ve been in the same house for eight years).

Each year I sigh as I prepare all the documents. But this year there’s been a double whammy. I’d only had the new liquor license five minutes when I received another letter from the booze shop, this time asking me to “revalidate” the new license.

Turns out that DH’s residence visa – his permission to remain in the UAE – expired this month. He got it renewed, but now that means the liquor licence also needs “revalidation”.  That’s never happened before.

But, fine, I thought. Surely they’ll just need a copy of the new residence visa.

And then I read the letter and oh, how I laughed. To “revalidate” the existing – new – liquor licence we need to fill out the entire form all over again, including the stamp and signature from DH’s work. Then we need to submit the existing liquor licence along with “the documents” ie two more passport copies each, two more passport photos each, another copy of DH’s contract and the sales agreement on the house. These are the same as they were two months ago.

Are they testing to see how desperate we are for a drink? Next year I expect to see an extra clause: ‘Cross the alligator-infested swamp unaided; shave your head; and supply 10 passport photos (white background) of your maternal grandma’s first pet (dead or alive).’

Edited to add: When I went to the booze shop to question the need for “the documents”, the chap in the shop made a phone call, then said all I needed was my half of the form filled out (no stamp, no signature from work), and a copy of the new residence visa. None of the other paperwork. Hallelujah!