JEDDAH: The Passport Depart-ment has introduced a new system that will allow Saudi men to leave and enter the country via airports using swipe cards.
Maj. Gen. Salim Al-Belaihed, director general of the department who launched the service on Wednesday, said it would facilitate travel of citizens as they would not be in need of standing in long queues at the immigration to get their passports stamped.
The new service is currently available for Saudi men traveling through King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh. It will be introduced for Saudi women and expatriate travelers at a later stage.
He said the service would be made available at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah shortly and at other airports subsequently.
The swipe card will carry an individual’s fingerprint and retinal scans as well as his photo and relevant information. “We have introduced this service as part of the department’s efforts to make use of modern technology to provide suitable solutions and facilitate immigration procedures,” the passport chief said.
He said all information recorded at the electronic gateway in the airport would be entered into the Passport Department’s database. “Those who have registered with the gateway will be able to travel using swipe cards.”
Al-Belaihed disclosed plans to open six new passport offices at shopping centers in Riyadh and Jeddah. “The delay in opening these offices is caused by the time required for a response from owners of these centers,” he said.
Al-Belaihed pointed out that his department had fingerprinted more than 3.2 million guest workers in the Kingdom. “We have opened three centers for the purpose in Riyadh in addition to a number of mobile centers,” he said, urging employers to ensure that their workers are fingerprinted.
Khaled Al-Ghonaim, CEO of Al-Elm information security company, said the electronic gateway at Riyadh airport was set up by his company. “Those who want to get smart cards can visit the registration center,” he added.
Al-Elm is a national company owned by the Public Investment Fund, the investment arm of the Finance Ministry, and it works to build the largest national system for secure e-business services.
