Saudi Gazette RIYADH — Egypt's mission is working on a plan to automate various consular services and making provisions for online booking, Consul General Ehab Abdel Hamid has said. In his first interview with a Saudi newspaper, the consul general said the consulate is working on a strategy to minimize the waiting time, and to expand and develop the waiting areas. Also, efforts are on to boost interaction between the consulate and citizens, and provide consular guidance and clarify the rights of Egyptian citizens residing in Saudi Arabia, and to notify them with any changes in Saudi Arabia that might affect the Egyptian citizens as soon as they take place, Abdel Hamid said. He highlighted the services provided by the consulate general in Riyadh; its jurisdiction includes Riyadh, the Eastern Province, Qassim, Northern Borders, Al-Jouf and Hail. The services include issuance of passports, temporary travel documents, birth certificates, work permits, criminal record, dealing with cases of death, ratify documents, marriage and divorce documents, visiting detainees in Saudi prisons and in departments of expatriates, working to sort out their problems and providing the required legal assistance and coordinate with labor office within the embassy to sort out complications that Egyptians would face. On the volume of paper work at the consulate, Abdel Hamid said that in 2018 the consulate accomplished nearly 160,000 paper works with almost 650 daily and 81,000 in first half of 2019. The consulate is keen to open all channels of communications with Egyptians whether in person, via email [email protected], as well as social media such as the official page of the consulate on Facebook "https://www.facebook.com Egyptian.Consulate.In.Riyadh/" or whatsapp number (00966500054094). On the services the consulate provides to Saudis and other expatriates in the Kingdom, Abdel Hamid said: "Although the services provided by the consulate are primarily for the benefit of the Egyptian community, yet the consulate issues visas to foreigners wishing to visit Egypt for the purpose of tourism or for any other purposes." "As part of the State's keenness to provide various services to its expatriates, the department of Civil Status of the Egyptian Ministry of the Interior send committees to the cities where the Egyptians live abroad to issue and renew their national ID cards almost annually. A recent committee came to Riyadh last month, where it received about 900 applications to issue the national ID card," he said. On the challenges, before the consulate and how to overcome them Abdel Hamid said: "The fact that the citizens d not know the responsibilities of the consulate would top the list of the challenges. People would come with problems related to finance or violation of laws and regulations in the Kingdom. On the other hand, some citizens do not renew their official documents, such as a passport before the expiry date. Nevertheless, with regard to aides from diverse nationalities accompanying Egyptian families, some forget to apply for visa that forms additional burden on the consulate. On legal and labor issues, mainly dealt with in continuous coordination with Saudi ministries of foreign affairs, interior and labor, the consulate ensures smooth and functioning of the legal proceedings, he said. Abdel Hamid expressed his deep thanks and appreciation for the fruitful cooperation with Saudi authorities to facilitate solutions for problems of Egyptian citizens residing in the Kingdom and to guarantee their rights which reflect the well-built and historical ties of both peoples and countries. On education, the consulate cooperates with other technical offices of the embassy; the cultural office to authenticate education certificates. Work contracts in cooperation with the embassy's labor representation office, as well as overcoming the obstacles that Egyptian workers would face, facilitating their access to their financial dues from employers, and sort out the problems they may face with employers in an amicable ways, or providing legal advice in cases of labor courts. It also cooperates with the medical office in the embassy to follow up cases of Egyptian patients in hospitals and provide the needed assistance. Born in Cairo, Abdel Hamid holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's degree in oriental studies from the University of Yerevan and PhD in philosophy from Armenian National Academy of Sciences. Prior to his Riyadh posting in November 2018, he was a diplomat in the embassies of Egypt in Sana'a, Yerevan and Doha and deputy ambassador to China and acting chargé d'affaires of the Embassy of Egypt in Doha.
