Airports to Have E-Gates Soon
RIYADH: The Kingdom will soon introduce electronic gates (e-gates) for citizens and residents to go through international airports cutting down the hassles of waiting at immigration at these points.
In a statement made on the sidelines of the GITEX show currently being held in the World Trade Center in Dubai, Director General of Passports Maj. Gen. Sulaiman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Yahya said that every effort is being made for citizens and residents to make their Egovernment services easier to save time.
He explained that in addition to the local population there are some 15 million fingerprints of expatriates in the Kingdom which have already been registered with the department and the new Egate system will help them pass through immigration without any hassle, provided the expatriate holds a valid Iqama and a re-entry visa.
Beginning next week, the General Directorate of Passports will introduce a new online multi-visa service dubbed “My Service” to enable expatriates to process their transfer of iqama without any hassles.
Under the new service, Assistant Director General of Passports Col. Khaled Hamad Al-Saikhan said expatriates will be able to transfer their iqama through the Abshir portal provided they meet all requirements of the Ministry of Interior. The transfer service is being carried out through the respective companies under the Muqeem service.
The Interior Ministry e-portal is considered one of the most important government services as it provides more than 100 e-services for over 4 million people.
The Ministry of Interior participated in the GITEX show with a pavilion to highlight its activities.
Prince Bandar bin Abdullah Al-Mishari, assistant interior minister for technology affairs, visited the ministry’s pavilion.
Upon his arrival, he was received by Director General of Passports Maj. Gen. Sulaiman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Yahya, and a number of Ministry of Interior officials.
During the tour, the prince checked on the platforms of Public Security, National Information Center, Civil Defense and Passports, and he listened to an explanation about the e-services provided by these sectors.
He expressed his admiration for what he had seen and the efforts of participants at the pavilion.
Musaed Al-Zayani, Saudi journalist who visited the GITEX show, told Arab News that the Ministry of Interior pavilion gave visitors a clear signal that Saudi Arabia is fast developing its e-government services for the benefit of both the citizens and residents.