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[nomad soul]

5-year resident identity card for expatriates in October
By Mansour Al-Shehri, Okaz/Saudi Gazette | June 19, 2015
Source: http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20150619247786

RIYADH – Four new electronic services are to be introduced by the Passports Department (Jawazat), including changing the residence permit for expatriates by launching a new card under the name “resident identity card” with new features. It has also been made compulsory for those who benefit from the Jawazat services to have a mail box “Wassil” so as the department can provide the services to their homes. The service will begin at the start of the Hijri year (October).

At the beginning of Dhul Qi’dah, the Passports Department will stop all companies and establishments' officials from visiting its offices, as the services will be provided electronically and the identity cards of the workers will be delivered to the locations of the companies and establishments via the mail.

The Passports Department also said any worker who leaves the Kingdom on an exit/re-entry visa and does not return to the Kingdom during the specified period of the exit/re-entry visa would not be able to enter the Kingdom for three years. The authorities have started implementing these measures.

Col. Khaled Al-Saikhan, assistant director general of passports for technological affairs, announced in a press conference Thursday that ‘resident identity card’ is a card that would be valid for five years to prove the identity of the expatriate in a particular field. It bears the name and number of the expatriate, date of birth, occupation, nationality and work permit number (if available), religion and employer. The resident identity card will be renewed electronically annually.

Al-Saikhan said there are two changes in the resident identity card. First is the general appearance and change of the card’s name from ‘residence permit’ to ‘resident identity card’ and the second is the nonexistence of the date on which the identity card ends. This identity card will be issued for the first time after testing it out electronically on the online electronic services either on ‘Abshir’ or ‘Muqeem’. This card is meant to show the holder’s sponsor, occupation and it has no date of expiry. It can be renewed online annually through the employer.

Al-Saikhan said the reason for launching the ‘resident’s identity card’ is to provide a better service for the beneficiary without the conventional visits to the offices, updating of postal addresses, achieving the principle of e-government, curtailing consumption of materials in the printing of residence permits (iqamas), tightening control through electronic work, establishing the concept of central printing and providing a better service without visiting the Jawazat. He said the identity card would be issued as a first stage for companies and establishments on 1/1/1437H (Oct. 14, 2015).

The reason is the existence of a tight link-up with the Ministry of Labor. The date of expiry of the iqama and the status of the expatriate can be determined by inquiring through SMS services and verifying the validity of the iqama in the system using the answering system via telephone, through “Raqeeb” system, Ministry of Interior website, through “Yaqeen” system for banks and rent-a-car offices and SMS messages via the mobile telephone.

(End of article)

[sicklyman]

[nomad soul]

Additionally, according to Arab News:

[nomad soul]

The most recent update on the muqeem (resident ID) (Aug. 18 2015):

[hash]

Lots of unanswered questions and issues with this one:

1. I take it the new MUQEEM will not be a "card" but an A4 sheet of paper similar to what the exit/reentry visa looks like now.

What happens if you "lose" it or it's destroyed? Can you just go online and get a copy? I see all kinds of "security issues" with this practice. What if someone FINDS your "lost" muqeem....could he possibly use it? (I don't see why not.....neither the VISA nor the MUQEEM have your picture on the sheet.)

I can see all kinds of forgeries in the making.

2. If the new MUQEEM is good for 5 years, and considering that a 1 year "permit" currently costs SAR500, does that mean you'll have to fork over SAR2500 to get a new 5 year MUQEEM? What if your contract is only for 2 years...or one. What's the procedure then?

Other questions....why is the EXPIRY date NOT shown on the new "card" (sheet of paper)? Why not? What's the issue here? What are they trying to hide? Are they trying to hide something? We'll never know, I guess.

[nomad soul]

[hash]

[quote="nomad soul"]
Why do you contend the resident ID card is a piece of paper ...?
------>> You're right. From what they say, it'll be a CARD similar to the current Iqama. I misread......My bad.....but.......it'll be "delivered" to the recipient via the postal service??? (Quick! Anybody have some smelling salts they can share?)

[nomad soul]

[hash]

"The date of expiry of the iqama (sic: they mean the “muqeem”, not “iqama”) and the status of the expatriate can be determined by inquiring through SMS services and verifying the validity of the iqama (sic) in the system using the answering system via telephone, through “Raqeeb” system, Ministry of Interior website, through “Yaqeen” system for banks and rent-a-car offices and SMS messages via the mobile telephone"
-------->> To me, this is indeed a lot of "rigamarole". Why not just stamp the date on the card? (Note that they're already stumbling over their terminology).

Further:

“Col. Khaled Al-Saikhan, assistant director general of passports for technological affairs, announced in a press conference Thursday that [the]‘resident identity card’ is a card that would be valid for five years to prove the identity of the expatriate in a particular field."

To me, that means that the validity of the card is 5 years from date of issue. What’s being renewed each year is the WORK VISA (or something), but not the MUQEEM (card) itself since he just said it’s good for 5 years. Which takes us back to my question: why not just print the date of expiry of the card (5 years from date of issue) on the card itself?

[In the heat of the moment]

[sicklyman]

it'll be longer or shorter depending on which calendar they use, that's for sure

[nomad soul]

[Cletus]

How will this renewal of iqamas effect current visas issued with an expiration date of ones current iqama. I asked this question on a previous forum and the answer seemed to be, "I am not sure." I know I am lost on this issue. Help!

[nomad soul]

[scot47]

Just do as your master bids. He knows best.