Jeddah, Jan 19 (IANS): Saudi Arabia's passport department has made fingerprinting mandatory for all male and female expatriates for renewal and issue of IDs (iqamas) from Jan 21, a media report said Monday.
An iqama is a residence permit issued to expatriates who arrive in Saudi Arabia on an employment visa. It is valid for 1-2 years.
The fingerprint will be recorded only once and kept in the automated central system (ACS) along with the other data about expatriates, Arab News reported.
Most of the expatriates currently have their fingerprints stored in the ACS.
The passport department urged all employers and expatriate family heads to verify that their fingerprints and those of their families are present in the records of the ACS and those whose fingerprints are missing should take steps to take their fingerprints again.
No fingerprints are needed in the case of those who are not yet 15 years old.