THE development going on in the Passports Department (Jawazat) systems is not only impressive but very efficient, as all information is now provided through the “Absher” electronic system. However, I have some observations about the system with regard to the Jawazat at the airport. It is true that technology at this end suffers errors and rectifying them is essential in order to prevent future mistakes. It is known that a woman cannot travel unless she has the consent of her guardian. Earlier we used to stand at the Jawazat counter carrying yellow cards in our hands in an uncivilized manner. Technology has gotten rid of this scene by making the guardian send his consent electronically. The problem that faced many women and even underage youths in the airports is the non-appearance of the guardian's consent in the computer system being operated by the Jawazat staffer at the airport. Some women have been deprived of traveling due to this technical defect for which they are not to blame. The Jawazat officer might allow an underage youth to pass if he is accompanied by his family. However, he will never allow a woman to travel without her guardian's consent. I saw a woman who was intending to travel with her young daughters. The officer stamped her daughters' passports because he saw their guardian's consent but did not permit the mother to pass because he did not find any consent for her. This is despite the fact that their guardian is the same. Logically, will their guardian give his consent for young women to travel without giving his consent to their mother? The scene was so dreadful that I wished the yellow cards system would be implemented again instead of a computerized system that might commit errors with serious consequences. There is another matter that I noticed personally in the Jawazat computer system. It is the exit/re-entry visa for female domestic workers. The same thing that happens to the woman and the underage boy happens here. Sometimes, the exit/re-entry visa does not appear in the system during travel procedures. However, on returning, the exit/re-entry visa does not appear when he scans the passport. Therefore, the Jawazat officer asks for the residence permit (iqama), despite the fact that it should remain in Saudi Arabia. A Jawazat officer told me this. The same applies to the civil status card for Saudi citizens. Furthermore, some airports of Arab countries ask for the exit/re-entry visa. How can they ask for the exit/re-entry visa when it has now become electronic and is no longer on paper? Even if the traveler presents his iqama, it will not be accepted. This matter requires coordination between the Kingdom and the countries that ask for such documents despite the fact that European countries do not ask for them. We were happy with the introduction of technology, shortening of distances and scrapping of the yellow cards. But the repetition of defects and errors at the airports might necessitate a reconsideration of the computer system and developing it so that it is in conformity with the huge development that we have started noticing in the Passports Department. Despite the ease in using computer systems, they still remain a complicated process. I do not want some failures to cloud this huge effort.
