Citizens and foreign residents can now get alerts on their mobile phones on the issuance and renewal of national identity cards and the expiry of passports, driving licenses, vehicle registration, residence permits (Iqama), as well as the settling and registration of traffic violations. Welcome to the Ministry of Interior SMS alert service! Through this service the ministry sends free text messages to citizens and expatriates about important changes in their records at the Civil Status, Passports or Traffic departments. The Ministry of Interior is now expanding its SMS services and alerts to citizens and guest workers registered on service and security sector lists. So far there are over 60 various services included in the SMS alert list. The initiative is aimed at providing speedy electronic services to service seekers at Ministry of Interior departments so as to save time and effort. It also saves subscribers fines by warning them before their documents expire, and helps them informed on their Ministry of Interior records. During the experimental period, the Ministry of Interior launched eight services through which six million alerts were sent to subscribers about changes in their civil records. Citizens and expatriates can register for the SMS services at the Civil Status and Passports department, the Ministry of Interior website (www.moi.gov.sa) or local banks, like SAMBA.
