The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh successfully held its 14th Embassy-on-Wheels (EOW) at the Al-Jazeera International School in Dammam on May 23-24, where services were also extended to overstaying Filipinos who want to legalize their status.

Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago led the team. He stressed that the Philippine Embassy will continue to render services to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) throughout the Kingdom to enable them to avail of the exemptions and facilities to rectify their work status during the grace period.

“I urge Filipinos in the Kingdom to immediately avail of the generosity of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and correct their labor and immigration status before the deadline on July 3, 2013,” the Filipino envoy said.

The Saudi ministries of labor and interior issued the guidelines on the correction of labor and immigration status of illegal expatriates on May 10, 2013.

In addition to passport renewal and notarial services extended, the Philippine Embassy also brought additional staff who provided services to Filipinos who want to correct their labor and immigration status.

Among the services the EOW extended were the following: Issuance of travel documents free of charge to Filipinos who have decided to leave the Kingdom under the May 10 guidelines, facilitation of requests for verification of surrendered passports, release of surrendered passports and the extension of the validity of passports of overstaying Filipinos.

It was also announced that infants needing passports do not need appointments at consular outreach programs.

During the two-day EOW, the embassy encoded 802 e-Passport applications, 10 lost passport applications, 188 notarials, 27 reports of birth, 106 regular passport extensions, 25 passport extensions (irregular status) and released 48 surrendered passports. It also issued one travel document with regular status and 304 travel documents with irregular status.

EOW returned to Al-Khobar yesterday to further render consular services there.