JEDDAH — Three locations have been assigned for expatriates to register biometric fingerprints of their dependents. Makkah Passports Department Director General Maj. Gen. Khalafallah Al-Tuwairqi told Al-Madinah Arabic daily that all residents and their dependents who are 6 years of age or above must register their biometric data otherwise they will not be able to process any of their paperwork and requests. Expat men and their dependents can register their biometric data at passport departments' Al-Kandrah district office. There is another office in Al-Tahlia Mall for women and children. Children of Saudi mothers can register their fingerprints at Al-Rehab district office, said Al-Tuwairqi. Those who are disabled can have office workers from the department visit their homes to take their fingerprints. In January this year, the passport department (Jawazat) started implanting a new rule on biometric fingerprint registration for all expats and their dependents. Earlier, biometrics registration was mandatory only for those expat dependents who were 15 years of age or above. Biometric fingerprint registration first started in November 2014 for women going on exit-re-entry visa. It became compulsory for women and children above 15 years of age from January 2015. Expats can check the fingerprint registration status through Abshir portal or the Ministry of Interior website. Visit the MOI website click the "electronic inquiries" tab, then click on the "passports" tab in the drop down menu. Go to "Public Query Fingerprint Enrollment," enter your Iqama number, enter image code and click on "View" to check the result. Biometric data must be registered to enjoy passport department services like "chasing of profession," obtaining "exit and re-entry visa," "Iqama renewal and issuance," "sponsorship transfer" etc.
