Deputy Interior Minister Lieutenant-General Essam Al- Naham issued a circular to all concerned sectors to puncture a hole in the civil IDs of expatriates upon granting temporary residence or in the event of them leaving the country. This is to make sure that the expats cannot enter the country using the same ID once they left the country.

The circular says that some departments are still not affiliated to the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI), it has been agreed with PACI to puncture a hole in the civil IDs of foreigners upon granting temporary residence or in the event of them leaving the country.

‘Therefore, in the event if a foreigner is holding a civil ID with a punctured hole, that ID must be considered null and void, meaning the person is not entitled to enter the country using that civil ID.’ The information has been relayed to all concerned officials in the Ministry of Interior.