Passports Authority Issues 24,417 Violation Rulings

The General Directorate of Passports issued 24,417 administrative decisions during one Hijri month (Safar 1448) against violators of residency, labor, and border security regulations. Penalties handed down include imprisonment, fines, and deportation, as part of ongoing efforts to enforce compliance across the Kingdom.

The violations covered a range of offenses, including transporting, employing, harboring, or concealing violators, as well as assisting them in obtaining employment, housing, or transportation. Penalties for aiding violators can reach up to six months' imprisonment and fines of up to 100,000 SAR, with deportation for expatriate offenders.

Establishments found in breach may face recruitment bans of up to five years, public defamation, and imprisonment of the responsible manager for up to one year, with deportation if the manager is an expatriate. Residents can report violators of residency, labor, and border security rules by calling 911 in Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province, or 999 in all other regions.

Passport renewal requires presence inside the Kingdom

The Directorate also clarified that Saudi passport renewal is carried out electronically through أبشر, and that the individual whose passport is being issued or renewed — including family members under 15 — must be physically present inside Saudi Arabia. The standard renewal fee is 300 SAR for five years paid through government payment channels via banks (Mada, Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay).

Applicants can also request delivery to their national address. After submitting the request in أبشر and paying the fee, the applicant obtains the renewal notice form, hands it with the old passport to the postal employee, verifies the national address, and pays an additional delivery fee. Citizens outside the Kingdom who need to renew must instead contact the Saudi mission in their country of residence, as online renewal via أبشر is limited to those present inside the country.

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