Passport control staff to don traditional attire at airports

Passports Department staff will begin donning Saudi national attire, known as the “thobe” and “shemagh,” on Sunday instead of their military uniforms at checkout counters at Saudi airports, said Col. Ahmed Lhaidan, a spokesman at the Passport Department.
“Staff at international airports in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah must wear traditional Saudi attire,” he said. Directives also state that their identity cards should be displayed while on duty.
This new dress code will apply to personnel working on the front check-out counters in its first phase.
“We are studying the possibility of applying the dress code to all border outlets,” he said.
“Passport personnel are the first to welcome visitors and the last to say to bid them farewell,” he said. “That is why it is important for them to be dressed in a way that promotes their country and heritage.”