Thousands of Indonesian expatriates, mainly women, are seeking travel documents from their diplomatic mission to legalize their job status and stay in the Kingdom.

The Indonesian consulate in Jeddah has for the past week been experiencing a sudden surge in the numbers of their nationals seeking help in repatriation.

When most Asian diplomatic missions were experiencing a rush for consular services amid the recent crackdown on visa violations, it was relatively quiet at the Indonesian Consulate. But not anymore.

The two roads of Al-Muallifien and Shaikh Mohammed Jubair leading to the Indonesian Consulate in the Rehab District are regularly jammed in the morning hours. The traffic congestion is caused by large numbers of women crossing the road for food and photocopying services and forcing motorists to slow down.

Some men and women looking for consular assistance are Haj and Umrah visa violators, but the majority are runaways.

There are also many Saudi men and women visiting the Indonesian Consulate looking to correct the illegal status of their maids while others are hoping to recruit maids. Some private companies have also posted notices advertising housemaids and domestics for hire.

Several hundred women are flocking into the Indonesian Consulate to seek assistance from cities as far as Makkah and Taif. With only about a month to go before the grace period ends, dozens of women have permanently camped outside the buildings opposite the consulate since Thursday.

An Indonesian who runs the Toko grocery store told Arab News that he doesn’t have any cold beverages or water because customers simply buy whatever they can find.

Anwar Abdullah, who came from Jazan, told Arab News that he wanted to know the procedure of correcting his status so he could bring his new sponsor in the next visit to effect the transfer. But the Indonesian Consulate is unable to provide sufficient information. However, there are large boards featuring the necessary information in Bahasa Indonesia.

More than 90 percent of Indonesians working in the Kingdom fall in the domestic help category. The Saudi Passport office or Jawazat is responsible for changing their status, not the Labor Ministry.

In Jeddah, only Abruq Al-Rughama District has the Passport Department office that can rectify and regularize domestic category workers. However, there was no Indonesian Consulate employee seen last week who could give their countrywomen guidelines on legalizing their status.

But the consulate has almost halted its normal functions now and devoted all its efforts to attend to the rush ahead of the end of the grace period on July 3.

Diplomat Nur Ibrahim said the “Indonesian Consulate has received 10,000 applications in the last six days alone. Indonesia will issue and also renew passports of all those eligible for the concessions announced by Saudi authorities. For the rest, we are issuing only EC’s or emergency certificates which are in lieu of passports.

“We are expecting some additional staff from the ministry headquarters in Jakarta to assist and expedite the process of passport services for Indonesian nationals so that they can avail themselves of the grace period,” he added.

Nur Ibrahim also said that the consulate officials will visit the passport office today.

Considering that there are over a million Indonesian expatriates working mainly as domestic help in the Kingdom it will be a daunting task.