RIYADH – The General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) urged Saudi citizens to apply for separate passports for their dependents who are included in the passport of their guardians so as to avoid complications while traveling abroad. "The dependents who do not have a separate passport can travel abroad only in the company of the passport holder. Similarly, it is no longer allowed either to issue or renew a passport with adding the dependents in it," said Col. Muhammad Al-Saad, director of the general department for public relations and media at Jawazat. The directorate gave this clarification in the wake of the impending summer vacation, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Al-Saad said that there are several countries, which do not issue entry visa for those who do not have a separate passport. "Some Arab countries allow entry only if there is three-month validity for passport while in some other countries a validity of six months is mandatory," he said while urging citizens to complete the procedures for applying separate passports for all members of the family well before the start of the summer vacation. The fingerprinting and the National ID are the two prerequisites for the issuance and renewal of passports for all Saudis at the age of 15 or above. Even for the dependents below the age of 15, National ID and passport are essential to enter the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, and the family card is not sufficient for the travel, he said while urging the citizens to take advantage of Abshir service at the portal of the Ministry of Interior for either the issuance or renewal of passport. The citizens can complete all the procedures regarding this by visiting the website of Jawazat (www.gdp.gov.sa)
