Shams Ahsan

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH – Travelers and airlines can check the validity of exit/re-entry visa by logging in to the Muqeem website at WWW.PASSPORTEVISA.COM. The log-in will take the visitor to https://www.eserve.com.sa/VVSWeb/ where the validity of the visa can be checked by feeding either the Iqama or passport or visa number. There is also the provision to select the passenger’s name and date of birth.



Directorate General of Passports’ spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Al-Lehaidan reiterated on Tuesday that effective Sept. 7 travelers will no longer be required to carry printouts of exit/re-entry visas.  He said the decision follows the directives of Minister of Interior Prince Muhammad Bin Naif to facilitate e-services for citizens and expatriates.



The news first carried by the Saudi Gazette in its Monday edition generated a lot of queries from readers, wanting to know how airlines will issue boarding passes to travelers returning to the Kingdom without checking their visa validity.



Officials of a number of airlines in Jeddah were not aware of the new rule. “We have not yet been officially informed about this,” said the general manager of an Asian airline.



“We are in touch with authorities concerned to get details about this new regulation,” said the country manager of a Gulf airline.



While there is still some confusion about the mechanism of implementing this rule, a number of citizens and expats welcomed the move by the passports department.



“It will save a lot of hassle of carrying the hardcopy of a visa and making sure that it does not get lost,” said Abu Bakr, Regional Manager of a trading company, who recently faced a lot of problems in retrieving the re-entry visas of his family members after they misplaced the printouts on their holiday abroad.



The Directorate General of Passports has initiated a number of steps to cut paperwork and stop physical presence of service seekers in its branches. In June, Prince Muhammad  inaugurated the Abshir e-service that provides online issuing and renewal of residence permits.