Several Saudi women have recently been deployed as paperwork agents, seizing the opportunity of the legalization period to make profits.

A group of Saudi paperwork agents await female clients in the female section of the Passport Department in Jeddah, who visit the department to review or follow up on their cases.

Um Samer, a 36-year-old divorcee who has worked as a paperwork agent for the past three years, said: “After my divorce, I found myself without a home and it was difficult to go back to my father’s house with my children. So I began to look for a secured job as a source of income. One of my relatives suggested I work as a paperwork agent.”

“I began working from home and then from a small office and I have now managed to successfully establish an organization that provides public services,” she added.

Applicants must be Saudi citizens and able to read and write Arabic fluently.

Um Samer pointed out that the legalization period has had a great impact on her work as a paperwork agent in the public service sector.

“The correction period has no doubt created competition between female agents. Several agents are working without licenses from the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Their sole interest is to earn as much as possible during this period without taking into account the reputation of the field,” she added.

Abu Rakan, another paperwork agent, asserted that men are more suitable for this field of work. He emphasized the fact that women are forced to rely on male agents since government departments do not have special sections for women, thus restricting the ability of female agents to move and interact with clients.

Um Samer acknowledges that there are many obstacles that face her as a female paperwork agent.

However, she said: “Such constraints do not mean we should abandon the field and allow it to be exclusively male-dominated, especially since it offers good salaries. Menial procedures cost SR3,000, while more complex cases provide higher pay, as many are willing to pay high amounts to get their paperwork done.”

She also highlighted the fact that female paperwork agents are at an advantage because female clients prefer dealing with them as opposed to their male counterparts due to social and religious factors.

Women entered the profession in 2006, when the Ministry of Industry and Trade appointed its first female agent, Fawzia Mbarki. Since then, obtaining a license for this occupation is considered a positive achievement for Saudi women, paving the way for greater opportunities in the work force.

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh has reproached paperwork agents who have exploited the need for their work by raking in large sums of money from expatriates and citizens.