Saudi passports authority clarifies final exit visa rules for expiring residency cards
Saudi Arabia’s Passports Directorate says a residency card must be valid for longer than the final exit visa period, urging citizens to safeguard their passports.
Key Takeaways
AIA query was submitted to the official account of the General Directorate of Passports in Saudi Arabia, asking: "Greetings, is it possible to issue a final exit visa if the residency permit has only one or two days left? Or is there a required validity period for the residency permit to issue a final exit visa?"
The Passports Directorate clarified via its X platform page that the residency card (Iqama) must be valid for a period longer than the final exit visa.
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Passports authority urges citizens to protect their passports
The General Directorate of Passports also called on citizens to safeguard their passports both inside and outside the Kingdom, protect them from damage, loss, or theft, and avoid neglecting, mortgaging, or misusing them. Passports should be kept in secure locations.
The authority explained that if a passport is lost, damaged, or stolen within the Kingdom, a report must be filed through the "Report Saudi Passport Loss" service on the Absher platform.
It added that if a passport is lost outside the Kingdom, the nearest Saudi mission should be notified immediately, and the Passports Directorate should be visited upon return to the Kingdom to complete the necessary procedures.