JEDDAH — The Passports Department (Jawazat) has electronically issued as many as 13,930,574 single exit-reentry visas sparing applicants the trouble of going personally to Jawazat offices for the purpose. Maj. Gen. Solaiman Al-Yahya, director general of the department, told local daily Al-Watan on Monday that the Jawazat has also issued electronically a total of 101,897 multiple exit-reentry visas as well as 1,918,421 final exits. "We are fast becoming paperless department. This has enabled us to boost issuing of visas on our electronic gates," he said. The director said through its Muqeem electronic program, the Jawazat is extending online services to the companies and establishments with a view to cutting down the number of personal visits to the offices. "We are also reducing the cost of visa issuance charges on both the beneficiaries and the Jawazat at the same time," he added. The Jawazat has launched a number of electronic programs within its drive to go paperless including Absher, Muqeem and others. "The Jawazat is intent on improving its human resource services through the provision of data and reports that will make it easy for the sponsors and the beneficiaries to follow up their visa applications online," Al-Yahya said. He said two new services have been added to Absher program which are the long multiple and the few days exit-reentry visas. "The exit-reentry visa can also be printed," he explained.
