JEDDAH, 23 March 2004 — Saudi passports issued before 2002 are now invalid everywhere, the Passports Department has announced.
The new electronically readable passports, which were first introduced two years ago, will continue to be issued free of charge unless the old passport has expired.
Visas in the old passport are still valid, but travelers will have to present both passports. New passports will only be issued if the carrier has paid all his bills, the department said. Some are in no hurry to get them.
“It’s like renewing your driving license,” says Mahmood, 29, who would rather not travel than pay his debts just so he can renew his passport. “Bills, insurance, traffic tickets and any other outstanding utility payments need to be taken care of, and I can’t take care of all that right now,” he said.
The Passports Department is also working on fixing glitches in the new system of passport fee payments through ATMs, according to its Riyadh director.
Col. Saleh Al-Khudair told Arab News the department would set up a committee to look into mistakes that happened under the new system, which is being piloted in Riyadh. New projects were liable to mistakes, he said, but the advantages would outweigh the disadvantages.
