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Comment by jahnu | Hacker News Reader

I can imagine. When I was in Uzbekistan I met a local man who had studied in the UK and he explained to me how hard it was to travel. I was amazed you needed exit visas for your own country. I thought that stuff died long ago (with the exception of North Korea or so).

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Just 90 miles from Key West, Florida there is a country which required strict exit visas until just 3 years ago.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/15/cuba-relaxes-t...

"Just 90 miles from Key West there is a country" -

Why not just explicitly state the country....?

We know it's Cuba and these restrictions existed for obvious reasons.

It emphasizes Cuba's geographical proximity to the Western World.

Just 0 kilometers from West Germany, there used to be a country with "strict exit visas", too. You can't get closer than that.

Used to be.

I would think a quarter century qualifies as "long ago" in the timescale of a single human life.

The name of the country is not nearly as important as its proximity to the US.

It is very effective writing.

I think they're intimately related in this context and disagree that it's proximity is important beyond it's identification, which, as stated above, is obvious.

For dramatic effect, which is good, since language is a construct for human expression.

How could I forget! I even visited Cuba about 15 years ago.

No expert on either place but from what little I do know I'd rather live in Cuba. Uzbekistan truly is a police state.

Many countries in the Middle East still require exit visas. Dubai (UAE) is one of them

Dubai and by the extension doesn't require any sort of exit permit to leave the country unless you're giving up your residency at which time, you go through a pretty painless visa cancellation process. Very free movement given our strong aviation culture and infrastructure.

Except for the migrant workers, who built said infrastructure and are often compared to slaves. It's not easy for them to leave.

That's because their passports are taken from them, no? I had no issues leaving Dubai last time I visited.

No, it's not.

For citizens and expats it's ridiculously painless to enter/exit the UAE. Even as an American citizen with Global Entry, it's far easier to go in and out of the UAE than it is to enter/exit the USA.

I assume you're referring to the controversial Kafala system which chiefly harms migrant workers. It does not, in fact, require that anyone receive an exit visa.

The issue is primarily one of employers confiscating passports, not the government requiring you to obtain an exit visa. Fortunately, even in the four years I lived there the situation improved with more employees getting to hold on to their passports.

If you want to talk about repressive policies, you're much better off talking about Saudi Arabia which does require exit permits and has a far worse record on human rights (for both citizens and migrant workers).

Agreed it's painless as an expat to exit - but, note that the United States doesn't have an Exit Process. UAE Does (at least in Dubai). I took an Exit-Enter-Trip to Oman every 30 days while working there to keep my Visa Status current. Pretty much the same as Singapore. (Though, in Singapore, if you overstay, it's prison and caning - for real. In Dubai I believe it's just a fine)

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