RIYADH — Visitors to the Kingdom will now be required to be fingerprinted at the time of applying for a visa, the Cabinet decided Monday. In this regard, the Cabinet meeting presided over by Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, approved an amendment to the 4th article of the Cabinet decision No. 202 on 22/6/1430H. Accordingly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through competent offices accredited by the Kingdom's missions abroad, is to take the necessary measures to obtain the biometrics (fingerprints and pictures) of visa applicants to the Kingdom. Holders of diplomatic and special passports have been exempted from the new decision, Abdul Aziz Al-Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, said after the Cabinet meeting. He added that the Cabinet expressed the Kingdom's appreciation of the Djibouti Declaration issued by the 39th session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers stressing the principles contained in the interfaith and intercultural dialogue initiative of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The declaration also welcomed the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to establish a center for dialogue among Islamic religious sects. — SPA
