The application of the fingerprinting system for expatriates will start today, The Passports Department announced on Thursday. The System will include the transactions regarding the issuance of new residency permits (Iqamas), profession changes, service transfers and procedures of issuing alternative documents for lost ones. These transactions will be completed only after the fingerprints of the concerned expatriates are taken at any of the Passports Department's offices. General Salim Al-Blaihed, Director of the Passports Department, said in a press statement that fingerprinting is of major importance in terms of security, economics and society, in addition to its benefits for the expatriates themselves, as all procedures concerning them will be linked to it. He said applying the System is an initial phase that will be followed by other procedures to be announced later. Blaihed called on companies and establishments to commit to the new regulation and record their workers' fingerprints at the Department's offices soon enough to avoid fines in case of delayed issuances of Iqamas.
