The Passport Department of the Ministry of Interior has started fielding mobile biometric units in the Eastern Province to speed up the mandatory fingerprinting and photographing of expatriates and citizens. “The mobile biometrics units will register personal data of foreign workers which are to be accessed when they apply for Iqama and visa,” an official of the biometrics mobile unit said.He said the mobile facilities will also prevent overcrowding in passport offices where similar procedures are conducted. The fingerprinting and photographing of citizens and expatriates were started about a year ago and done at the Passport Departments. However, the fielding of mobile biometric units was introduced in the region only last month. Fingerprinting and photographing are compulsory for expatriates over 10 years of age. The mobile units are electronically connected to the Dammam Passport Department, which compiles all information about those who were processed at the Ministry of Interior main control center, according to passport authorities. A mobile unit can photograph seven individuals and scan their finger impressions at one time. The Passport Department is now sending the mobile units at the 1st and 2nd Dammam Industrial Cities where around 400 companies that employ mostly foreign workers are located. Owners of companies are urged to register in advance with the mobile units. Companies with big number of foreign workers are told to organize their workers in groups of 20s, accompanied by a Saudi officer, before enrolling them at the mobile biometrics units. Authorities said that since the introduction of this new identification process a number of illegal residents, as well as those with criminal records, have been discovered. __
