Saudi Arabia: Fingerprinting Must for Iqama Services Starting May 17

Saudi Arabia will introduce mandatory fingerprinting on all expatriate workers starting Saturday, Maj. Gen. Salim Al-Belaihed, director general of the Passport Department, announced yesterday.

Fingerprinting will be required for issuing new iqamas (resident permits), changing professions and transferring sponsorships starting on Saturday, 17th May 2008.

The employers should approach passport offices across the country without delay to complete the fingerprinting of their workers to ensure their workers' fingerprints are taken when applying for iqamas.

Experts say that fingerprinting would help combat forgery and prevent the entry and exit of criminals.

Due to the huge number of expatriates in the Kingdom, the department would rent buildings in major cities to accommodate them to complete the process. Passport officials may also visit big factories and companies to provide the service.