DAMMAM, 21 April 2004 — The Passports Department yesterday extended the validity of the old passports for three months after a rush to exchange them for new electronic ones led to chaos at government offices across the Kingdom.
A vast majority of Saudis had failed to update their passports by yesterday’s deadline.
“The Passports Department has decided to extend the period for use and exchange of the old passport for three months until July 17, 2004,” a Passports Department statement said.
“This extension was given to increase the number of people renewing their passports,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the statement as saying.
The new digital passports contain more security features.
Chaos had reigned in the Kingdom since Monday, when thousands of Saudis gathered at the department’s offices to get their new passports. The recently expanded Passports Office in Dammam was not large enough to contain the mushrooming crowds.
Few of those gathered knew what the procedure would be — particularly that there would be an SR300 fee.
Previously passports were free.
Passports Department officials say people have only themselves to blame for the confusion. “We have been putting announcements in the newspapers, television and radio about the last date and the SR300 fee. Why did everyone decided to get a new passport at the last minute?” one clerk at a window asked.
Monday’s queue at the Passports Office in Dammam had exceeded 1,000 by noon.
People with red tickets had reached 1,112 with number 127 being served at the time.
In Riyadh on Monday, the offices stayed open until 10 p.m. Yesterday, some 700 numbers had been issued by 7 p.m., with the Passports Department saying the number could go up to 1,000 since another wave of callers was expected once they finished work.
Applicants had to fill in a form and provide an SR300 voucher from Al-Rajhi Banking and Investment Corporation or Riyad Bank.
Touts near the passport office here were selling the SR300 voucher for SR 310, charging an additional SR10 for filling in application forms.
Anver Al-Anazi, one of the touts, told Arab News many felt SR10 was a small price to pay for avoiding queues at the bank. Anazi said he had sold some 50 vouchers yesterday to desperate applicants who came to the passport office after banking hours.
More than 20 touts were working the premises yesterday.
At the Jeddah department offices, over 1,000 people were standing in line with their old passport in hand.
“I have been here since nine o’clock this morning,” Abdullah Al-Zahrani, 27, told Arab News. “It’s now 1 p.m., and there are still at least a hundred people ahead of me. I am praying that I reach the window by three.”
Ibrahim, a passport officer, said: “I have personally processed over 1,000 applications today. People were lined up in the thousands outside. Tomorrow it will probably be the same thing.”
Arab News checked with another passport and immigration official in Jeddah to see if this mad rush is necessary. “Those with old passports will not be allowed to travel until a new passport is issued,” he said. “If you do not plan on traveling outside the Kingdom within the next few days or weeks, then wait for a while before coming in to do the exchange.
“There is no time limit for when you can apply for a reissue. Let the rush recede. We anticipate that there will be severe crowding at all passport offices for at least three weeks,” he added.
According to Maj. Gen. Abdul Aziz Sajeeni, the director-general of the Passport Department, a number of Saudi citizens had lost their old passports abroad. “It is obvious that a lost, stolen or sold passport can be used to facilitate illicit activities,” he said.
— Additional input from Mohammed Rasooldeen and Essam Al-Ghalib
