Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — The new identity cards for expats that will replace the current iqamas (residence permits) will be impossible to forge, according to the assistant director general of the Passports Department (Jawazat). The news IDs will be issued starting next year. The ID cards will be electronically issued and renewed through the e-services of Abshir or Muqeem after every five years, Col. Khaled Bin Hamad Al-Saikhan told local daily Al-Madina on Wednesday. The cards will stay the same, only their validity will be renewed in the system. Starting next year, all current iqamas will be withdrawn when they are submitted for renewal or transfer, said Col. Al-Saikhan. He said current iqamas will be valid for one year only, after which these will be replaced by the new ID cards. Col. Al-Saikhan said the new cards have a number of features which make them tough to tamper with or forge. The annual fee to issue or renew a card will remain the same, but expatriates will have to pay for five years at one time. The fee for issuance and one-year renewal of an iqama of workers in companies and establishments is SR650. The iqama issuance and one-year renewal fee for dependents above 18 years of age is SR500. The iqama issuance fee for house help is SR600 and the one-year renewal fee is SR350. “After the first five years, the IDs will be automatically renewed according to the employer's wish.” He said those with the new IDs won't have to visit Jawazat for renewal, and won't have to update their postal addresses. “The new IDs will realize the concept of e-government, save consumers the cost and time of printing, and will regularize the presence of expatriates electronically,” Col. Al-Saikhan said.
