JEDDAH: The Interior Ministry on Sunday launched a “A Nation Without Violations” campaign to give residency and labor law violators 90 days to leave the country without penalties.
Prince Mohammed bin Naif, crown prince, deputy prime minister and minister of interior, urged violators to take advantage of the 90-day grace period, which becomes effective March 29, to correct their status and make use of the assistance provided.
The crown prince directed authorities to facilitate the procedures of people who seek to leave the country within the specified period and relieve them from all sanctions.
Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said that 19 government agencies will carry out the campaign. He said the decision covers those who overstayed their Haj or Umrah visit, or any other type of visa.
He said procedures will be finalized for violators with no residence or work permits who infiltrated the borders illegally. Travel permits will be issued for those individuals.
The General Directorate of Passports and the Immigration Department completed preparations to facilitate the departure of violators.
Al-Turki said residents with no identity cards or who overstayed their Haj visa must visit the nearest Passport department to complete the procedures.
He also urged citizens and residents not to employ individuals who violated their work or residency permits, or cover up for them. He urged people to report violators by calling 999.
Once the grace period passes, penalties will levied against violators who remain.
Al-Turki said the same campaign was launched three years ago with more than 2.5 million violators departing under the program.
Marine Col. Saher Al-Harbi, spokesman of the Border Guard, said his department had returned thousands of illegal infiltrators who arrived via land and seaports.
90-day amnesty granted to residency, labor violators in Saudi Arabia
90-day amnesty granted to residency, labor violators in Saudi Arabia
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Saudi Post issues commemorative stamp to mark Al-Faw’s UNESCO recognition
RIYADH: Saudi Post has issued a SR3 ($0.79) commemorative stamp to celebrate the registration of Al-Faw Archaeological Area on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, making it the eighth Saudi site on this prestigious list.
Located south of Riyadh at the junction of a vast plain and the Tuwaiq mountain range, Al-Faw is strategically positioned along ancient trade routes connecting the southern Arabian Peninsula to its center and east.
The area in Wadi Ad-Dawasir, at the intersection of the Empty Quarter desert and the Tuwaiq mountain range, is home to almost 12,000 archaeological remains and has a history of human habitation stretching back more than 6,000 years.
The site features a landscape shaped over millennia by human interaction with the environment and which was abandoned in the 5th century AD owing to depleted water sources.
The commemorative stamps issued honor significant national and international events, highlighting key chapters of Saudi history making them collectible for philatelists, researchers, and heritage enthusiasts, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
UNESCO, while recognizing the site last year, has said the site was a strategic point on the ancient trade routes of the Arabian Peninsula, but was abruptly abandoned around the fifth century.
Archaeological remains uncovered at the site range from prehistoric times to the late pre-Islamic era, testifying to successive occupations by three different populations.
Features include paleolithic and neolithic tools, tapered structures, cairns and circular constructions, the sacred mountain of Khashm Qaryah, rock carvings, funeral cairns, an ancient water management system, and remains of the city of Qaryat Al-Faw.
Other Saudi sites on the UNESCO Heritage List are Al-Hijr (2008), At-Turaif in Diriyah (2010), Historic Jeddah (2014), rock art in the Hail Region (2015), Al-Ahsa Oasis (2018), Hima Cultural Area (2021), and Uruq Bani Maarid protected area (2023).
