Saudi Arabia launches digital IDs

Cairo: Saudi Arabia has launched a digital edition of identification cards for its citizens via a smart app, an official has said.

The Interior Ministry’s Civil Agency has launched an electronic copy of the national ID on the smartphone app “Absher Individuals” in cooperation with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), Okaz newspaper reported.

“The digital IDs will facilitate verification of their holders in case they do not bear the traditional ID as the beneficiary can display the identification data electronically via the app ‘Absher Individuals’ including the QR [Quick Response] code,” spokesman for the Civil Affairs Agency Mohammed Al Jaser said. The app, he added, allows downloading a copy of the ID on the smart device.

“The digital ID will mark a turning point in developing individuals’ electronic transactions with sectors linked to the Interior Ministry’s Absher Individual platform,” Al Jaser added.

The “Absher” app gives Saudi citizens and expatriates access to a set of electronic governmental services such as residency and travel documents and renewal of passports and driving licences.