JEDDAH, 7 May 2008 — Saudi Arabia will introduce mandatory fingerprinting on all expatriate workers starting Saturday, Maj. Gen. Salim Al-Belaihed, director general of the Passport Department, announced yesterday.
“Fingerprinting will be required for issuing new iqamas (resident permits), changing professions and transferring sponsorships,” the passport chief said. “We won’t consider applications for these services without fingerprints,” he said.
Al-Belaihed said fingerprinting is the best method of verifying people’s identity. “It is the most important sign that differentiates people,” he said.
Al-Belaihed urged employers to ensure their workers’ fingerprints are taken when applying for iqamas. “They should approach passport offices across the country without delay to complete the fingerprinting of their workers,” he said.
About eight million expatriates work in the Kingdom, mainly for private companies. Experts say that fingerprinting would help combat forgery and prevent the entry and exit of criminals.
The system, which has been successfully tested for a trial period, will also be introduced for Saudis at a later stage. “The Passport Department has a plan to introduce the system for Saudis,” said Capt. Faras Al-Tuwaiyan, director of media affairs at the Passport Department.
He added that the department has already installed fingerprinting systems at its offices across the Kingdom, including in Makkah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Abha, Al-Ahsa, Taif and Unaizah in Qassim Province.
“It is easier to introduce the system in small cities where the number of expatriates is much smaller compared to big cities like Riyadh and Jeddah,” he said.
Al-Tuwaiyan said the department would rent buildings in major cities to put up the large number of expatriates who will come in to complete the process. Passport officials may also visit big factories and companies to provide the service.
Al-Tuwaiyan also spoke about difficulties in introducing the system at entry points, as the process would take three to four minutes for each person, causing delays in completing immigration procedures.
“To solve this problem we have decided to take fingerprints of guest workers while issuing their iqamas or while providing other services,” he pointed out.
Also yesterday, the Passport Department announced its plan to open shortly a branch office at the second industrial city in Riyadh.
“We are now putting finishing touches to the new office by providing it with necessary equipment and manpower,” said Maj. Gen. Saleh Al-Khudair, director of passports in Riyadh. “It will be a model office and extend electronic services,” he added.
