Thursday, November 2, 2017
BIOMETRIC FINGERPRINTS COMPULSORY ON ALL SAUDI VISAS
Biometrics fingerprint is mandatory now for all visas including Hajj and Umrah Visa at abroad Saudi Embassies starting from this new Hijri year 1439, In order to ensure the safety and security of the pilgrims coming to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah.
Saudi Embassies in various countries instructed all the pilgrim service offices to collect the biometric fingerprints of the all the pilgrims coming to Saudi Arabia before they applying Hajj or Umrah visa.
- Earlier it was limited only for certain countries now it is compulsory for all. Saudi Embassy in the Pakistan also instructed all the related offices to store the biometrics of applicants applying for any visa of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- In Sweden, Saudi Embassy signed a contract with a company to take biometric fingerprints of the the people who are applying for entry visas including Hajj and Umrah visas, This company is going to replace the existing visa service centers.
- Registering biometrics before applying visa will save your time at immigration counters in Saudi Arabia's entry points, It will ensure better service to the applicants of entry visas.
- There will pe a fee for the process to obtain the finger prints of the pilgrims, However it is not yet clear how much the fee will be, But it is sure the security of the pilgrims.
- Before two years this decision was rejected, However this time it got approval, There will be a company who will store the biometrics of the pilgrims for Saudi government.
- From now on wards all the visas including Hajj and Umrah visas will be activated only after the biometric registration as per the letter of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh.
