Monday, Aug 25, 2008
Riyadh: Passengers arriving at King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammad Bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Madinah will be fingerprinted starting this Haj.
Saudi Arabia initiated a package of new measures in 2003, including fingerprinting to eliminate the problem of overstaying in the kingdom by pilgrims and Umrah performers.
The Passport Institute has been training its students to master the operation of the new electronic fingerprinting system at the kingdom's entry points, Al Turaifi said.
The government has recently started fingerprinting seven million foreign residents, who make up 30 per cent of the kingdom's total population of 21 million, which is expected to reach 34 million in 2020, according to reports from the World Bank. The fingerprinting process was introduced to control those who enter the country with fake passports or papers. It also helps with security background checks.
After a foreign national is fingerprinted, all data is stored in the database. Information includes the person's full name, employer, religion, and country of origin as well as the validity of their residence permit or visa. A digital photo of the person is also saved.
This live scan technology will help speed up the process of coordination among security authorities through sending electronic fingerprints online to easily and quickly identify criminal suspects or persons wanted for investigation. Using electronic transmission, a passport office at any point of entry can get results from other government offices almost instantly as opposed to paper-based fingerprint cards which can take weeks.
This live scan technology will help speed up the process of coordination among security authorities through sending electronic fingerprints online to easily and quickly identify criminal suspects or persons wanted for investigation.
By Mariam Al Hakeem
Gulf News 2008. All rights reserved.
