Holiday rush at Passport Dept office

(MENAFN- Arab News) The Jeddah Passport Department is working overtime to meet the rush of passport renewal requests ahead of the Eid holiday. The department's headquarters in the Rehab District has been approached by double the number of clients in comparison with other months despite the shorter working hours.

Khalafallah Al-Tuwaijri director-general of passports for the Makkah region said employees are staying beyond their working hours which end at 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. so that they are not overloaded with paperwork the following day.

Al-Tuwaijri urges citizens to renew their passports well ahead of time to avoid disappointment and pressure.

'People should adhere to the time frame specified on the Abshir website" he said. 'In certain extenuating circumstances exceptions are made for the elderly and people with emergency situations and the time frame is extended."

'The Passport Department is still bearing the brunt of the paperwork despite the introduction of more branches at malls" he said.