Maj. Gen. Abdul Rahman Al-Fida, undersecretary for civil affairs at the Interior Ministry, said the plan to open model civil affairs offices was aimed at further improving services to the public.

The department opened its first model office at Andalus Mall in Jeddah a few weeks ago. It has also introduced electronic booking at 18 existing offices in various parts of the country.

“We’ll introduce a similar system in the remaining offices to reduce overcrowding and make things easy for the public,” Al-Fida said.

Ghazi Al-Bishri, director of the department’s office in Jeddah, said people can make electronic appointments by visiting the department’s website.

The interactive site will ask the visitor which service he/she requires and what time he/she wants to visit the office. It will provide the time for visit as well as advice about documents one has to bring with him/her to complete procedures.

People can download application forms for various civil matters including issuance and renewal of ID cards for both Saudi men and women and issuance of birth and death certificates for non-Saudis.