Riyadh : The Saudi Arabian government has announced a new Iqama (residency permit) policy for expatriates. The rules related to Iqama renewal have been changed in this.
The Saudi government says that expatriates face administrative difficulties in Iqama renewal. In such a situation, some changes have been made in it. This will make it easier for expatriates to renew their residency permit. The General Directorate of Passport of Saudi Arabia introduced this new policy on Tuesday.
The Saudi government ‘s General Directorate of Passport has said that this new policy also allows those expatriates living in the country to renew their residency permit, whose some family members or dependents are outside the country. However, the condition is that the head of the family should live within Saudi. This is expected to provide relief to a large number of expatriates from administrative challenges. Till now, if any member of the family was living outside Saudi Arabia, they had to face difficulties in renewing residency.
There is also relaxation in the rules for making passport
The Directorate General said in its statement, “Now the presence of the head of the family inside Saudi is sufficient for Iqama renewal.” This has brought relief to those families whose children are studying abroad or parents are traveling abroad for some reason. Or there is an emergency in the family which requires travel. In such cases, there was a risk of delay or legal complications. Indians are in large numbers among the foreigners living in Saudi Arabia. In such a situation, Indians will directly benefit from the changed rules.
The Directorate General announced that extension of exit and re-entry visas for family members can now be done completely online. The service is available through the Absher platform and the government’s SADAD payment system. This means there is no longer a need to visit passport offices in person.
