RIYADH — The General Department of Passports (Jawazat) announced that expatriates in the Kingdom must have their children aged six and above fingerprinted as registering biometric data is a prerequisite for completing procedures of a residency permit (iqama) and travel. The Jawazat urged all expatriates in the Kingdom to come forward to register the fingerprints of their children aged six and above at the earliest possible. It is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia has made registration of biometrics and fingerprinting mandatory for all male and female expatriates as well as for visitors and pilgrims. All expatriate workers and their family members are required to do the fingerprinting registration for completion of the residency and travel procedures. In January 2015, the Jawazat made registration of fingerprints mandatory for all expatriates and their dependents above the age of 15 for the issuance and renewal of residency permit (iqama) as well as for the issuance of exit and reentry visa. Fingerprinting recording was made mandatory for applicants of visa for performing the annual pilgrimage of Hajj from 2014 onward, and it was made mandatory later for foreign Umrah pilgrims and visitors too.
