Used mattresses are being sold outside the Passport Department building in Abraq Al-Raghamah to secure a spot nearer the gates and increase the chance of acquiring a number to file applications.

The price of a single used mattress has reached SR1,500.

Trade in mattresses is becoming popular and profitable. Some have purchased mattresses only to sell them again, making profits of SR300 at a time.

One of the applicants said a Bangladeshi national made more than SR17,000.

Ali Al-Hijari, a Saudi, said nationals and residents use these mattresses to obtain a number for their applications. “An expatriate offered me a mattress for SR1,500, but I refused. I preferred to keep my spot at the head of the queue. I have been here for three days now and was getting closer to the gate, but the person who bought the mattress took my turn and completed his paperwork since he was given a number by the man selling the mattresses.” Al-Hijari called on authorities to intervene and stop this phenomenon.

Hasan Al-Zahrani said crowding at the Passport Department building in Abraq Al-Raghamah has encouraged people to look for a source of income.