Saudi Arabia launches e-registration for expat newborns

Cairo: Expatriates in Saudi Arabia can now electronically register their newborns via a government service platform, a Saudi newspaper has said.

The Interior Ministry’s Agency for Civil Affairs has said that e-registration for foreign residents’ newborns is available via the Absher platform, Okaz reported.

The agency disclosed that after the registration, expatriates can request the birth certificates be delivered to their residency addresses, the paper added.

In recent months, Saudi authorities have introduced a set of e-services for the expatriate community in the kingdom.

Last month, the Saudi Ministry of Justice said that a foreign resident can conduct his marriage contract at a court or get it approved in case the wife arrives at the kingdom on a visit or a transit visa.

Still, the husband and the wife’s father must be residents in Saudi Arabia, the ministry said.

The marriage contract can also be authenticated via the ministry’s Najiz portal in case the married couple arrive in the kingdom on visit visas, Okaz reported at the time.

“This service can be obtained via Najiz, but to have it completely processed, all parties must be registered at the Absher platform,” it added.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has vigorously shifted to digitalisation, a trend expedited by the global epidemic-induced restrictions.

In 2013, the kingdom’s Interior Ministry launched the Absher app, which gives Saudi citizens and foreign residents access to a variety of government services.

The scope of the services has since largely expanded, including applying for jobs and renewing passports, residency cards and driving licences.