Alright, so I decided to try and get a Saudi Arabian passport. Not for anything shady, mind you, just wanted to see if I could do it. First thing I did was hop online and look up the process. Found out that the General Directorate of Passports in Saudi Arabia, also called Absher, handles all this stuff. Apparently, they have an e-service where you can apply for a new passport, which sounded pretty convenient.
I started digging around a bit more, and I discovered that you can get the documents delivered by Saudi Post. That’s a huge plus because I’m not really keen on visiting government offices. The whole process seemed pretty straightforward, according to the website.
Here’s what I gathered:
- Book an appointment: First, you gotta book an appointment online through their platform. You pick a date and time that works for you.
- Visit the passport office: On the day of your appointment, you head over to the passport office.
- Submit the application: You hand in your application for the Saudi electronic passport, along with your old one if you have it.
- Documents needed: You need a copy of your ID card and two personal photos.
I also found out that you can renew passports for family members under 10 years old online. Nice touch, makes things a bit easier for families, I guess.
Other Requirements
There were a few other things I needed to keep in mind:
- Traffic violations: Any traffic violations had to be paid off before I could apply. Makes sense, I suppose.
- Biometrics: They needed my fingerprint and a photo on file. Standard procedure for any passport, really.
- Be in the Kingdom: You actually have to be in Saudi Arabia when you apply. That makes sense, too.
Also, when you arrive and depart from Saudi Arabia, your passport needs to be stamped by officials at the ports and borders. And, of course, you need to follow the laws and regulations of any countries you visit. This is normal for any traveler. Good behavior is important, especially when you’re representing your country abroad.
So, yeah, that’s the gist of it. I followed all the steps, filled out the forms, and submitted my application online. All in all, a pretty smooth process. It’s interesting to see how different countries handle their passport applications. This whole experience was quite an eye-opener, to be honest. Got my passport, everything went fine. Case closed.
And that’s it. That’s how I did it. Now I can say I have gone through the whole process of getting a Saudi passport online. It was quite an adventure, if I may say so myself. A pretty interesting one.