Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Assistant Minister of Interior for Technical Affairs Prince Bandar Bin Mashari said that the General Directorate of Passport (Jawazat) would start the electronic service of passport renewal of Saudi citizens in the third quarter of 2022.

He said that the passport could be renewed through the Absher platform without personally contacting the Jawazat office.

Attending “Al-Liwan Al-Modifer” program on Rotana Khalijia television channel, the minister spoke about the new services that will be launched on the Absher platform. He also recalled the most difficult moments that had been experienced since the launch of the Absher platform.

Prince Bandar said that the national ID renewal service would be transferred from the testing phase to the comprehensive application phase within a month. He also emphasized that all the basic services on Absher Individuals (Absher Afrad) will remain free of charge.

The minister also drew attention to developing the service of sending personal picture of the national ID from home without any need to personally attend the Jawazat office, so that the citizen is satisfied with his picture, provided that it conforms to the terms and conditions.

He pointed out that the most difficult moments that the Absher platform had gone through since its launch was the process of registering individuals’ data as it was a procedure that entailed great effort.

He noted that the way to achieve this was through self-service via kiosks and the presence of the fingerprint system for all citizens and residents.

Prince Bandar said that artificial intelligence is an attempt to understand the way of thinking and transfer it from the human mind to the machine.

“The process of implanting a chip inside the human body is not the only option to enter into addressing the mind without passing through the eye and ear,” he added.