Saudi to roll out 'all purpose' national ID cards

The Saudi government is looking to roll out an all purpose electronic identity card that will hold wide ranging information on each citizen, including their health records, driving licence and passport details, it was revealed on Sunday.

The plan has been drawn up by the Ministry of the Interior as part of beefed up security measures for the kingdom’s residents, according to unnamed sources commenting in an interview with Saudi daily the Saudi Gazette.

It follows Saturday’s roll out by the Civil Status Department in Riyadh of its new central national ID card, which holds each resident's information on one card that can be read through smart card reading machines at state-run facilities.

These include courts, police stations, airports, the Kingdom’s entry and exit points, schools, hotels, car rental offices, and insurance companies, but only healthcare centres will be able to view health records of the card’s holder, the sources said.

The cards will also allow people to carry out online transactions with government departments, including the Ministry of the Interior - a move intended to cut down the long queues of people inside government offices.

Holders of the new central electronic national ID will be able to update their national ID SIM card through self-service machines or online, the newspaper explained.

Applicants for the new cards must submit their information to their local civil status department, from where it will be sent to the National Information Centre.

Each new electronic national ID will be issued within 14 days, and will include a black and white photograph of the holder.

Once issued the new holder will be notified by SMS that the card is ready for collection.

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