JEDDAH, 11 August 2004 — The Passport Department plans to open women’s sections at its regional offices and establish four new branches each in Riyadh and Jeddah, according to Maj. Gen. Salim Al-Belaihed, director general of the department.
“The new branches will be opened within three months and will operate in rented buildings initially,” Al-Watan daily quoted Belaihed as saying. The move is aimed at reducing pressure on the passport offices in the two cities, he said.
Belaihed said the new branches would provide all services related to expatriates. However, issuance of Saudi passports would be restricted to the main offices.
Referring to women’s sections, he said: “We have already started setting up separate sections for women at our offices in various regions which are managed by qualified female officials.” In the initial stage, these sections will only process applications from women for the issuance and renewal of passports and iqamas, he said.
The first women’s section was opened at the Passport Department in Jeddah.
