JEDDAH, 2 September 2003 — Expatriates working in government departments will now on have to pay their own iqama and exit/re-entry visa fees.
According to a report carried by Al-Watan daily, the Finance Ministry has already instructed the government departments to deduct from the expatriates’ salaries the amount charged by the Passports Department for the issuance and renewal of iqamas and for exit and re-entry visas.
The ministry has issued a circular in this respect after government departments asked it for clarification on the matter. “The subject has been discussed by experts at the Ministries of the Interior, Labor and Social Affairs, Civil Service, and Finance, and they decided that expatriates working in government departments must pay the fees,” the Arabic daily said quoting the ministry’s circular.
