An Indian national has reportedly been denied entry into the UAE after refusing an immigration official’s demand to shave off his moustache.
A passport control official allegedly retained Sujeev Kumar’s passport because he did not like his moustache.
The software engineer said that the passport control officer told him he would only return the passport if he shaved off his moustache, Gulf News reported.
“After stamping my passport, he kept looking at me and the picture in the passport. He asked me how I keep my moustache brushed and laughed,” said Kumar.
Assuming it was a joke, he was surprised when the immigration officer continued to ask questions about his moustache in a serious tone, making comments to his colleagues and other passengers waiting in the queue.
“He finally told me: ‘If you agree to shave off your moustache, I will let you to go’ and kept my passport with him,” said Kumar.
Kumar unsurprisingly presumed the request was a joke, and asked for his passport back again, but was left slightly confused when he was repeatedly ignored.
“He kept my passport and told me very seriously again to remove my moustache if I wanted it back and called the next person in line,” he said.
Kumar told the officer that he would not comply with his odd request and asked to speak to a superior officer.
He said there is nothing unusual about the style of his moustache, which he keeps trimmed.