Saudi Arabia: Digital identification cards launched for expats
A copy of residency document made available on Absher app
Cairo: Saudi authorities have launched digital identification cards for resident foreigners, days after they digitalized its citizens’ IDs.
The Interior Ministry’s General Directorate of Passports launched a digital edition of the residency IDs on the smartphone app “Absher Individuals” in cooperation with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the Saudi new agency SPA reported.
“The digital residency IDs will facilitate verification of foreign residents’ status in case they do not bear the original ID, enabling the beneficiary to display the identification data electronically on the app ‘Absher Individuals’ through the QR [Quick Response] code,” spokesman for the directorate Captain Nasser Al Oteibi said.
The app allows downloading a copy of the document, known as the “resident’s digital identification” on the smart device without the need for Internet connection, the official added.
The “Absher” app gives Saudi citizens and expatriates access to a variety of electronic governmental services such as residency and travel documents and renewal of passports and driving licences.
