Advisory No. 2011/001

Date: 4 January 2011

Against the backdrop of a six-month Royal Amnesty for overstayers in the Kingdom announced on 23 September 2010 and lasting for the period 25 September 2010 until 23 March 2011, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jeddah issued on 24 November, Circular Note No. 91/74/27523/31, informing all Consulates on deportation procedures for overstayers who are either apprehended or submit themselves voluntarily to authorities, whether they are holders of expired umrah, hajj or visitors visas.

Citing the need to resolve the issue of overcrowding at the Jeddah Deportation Centers, the note provides as follows:

1. For violations of the Saudi Law No. M/51 dated 21/8/1426H:

• The police authorities will provide the Saudi Labor Offices with copy of the police report on cited violations.
• The Saudi Labor Office will then decide on the overstayers’ labor cases by applying applicable regulations.
• The Saudi Labor Office shall also inform the sponsors of the overstayers to present themselves to the Saudi Labor Office.
• The overstayers may continue working until their labor cases are resolved;

2.   Violations by legal residents and Saudi nationals [without distinction] such as employing, transporting, helping or harboring those with no legal “iqamas” such as Hajj or umrah pilgrims or visitors or tourists and the like.

• The arresting authority will surrender the violator to the Directorate for Expatriates [Wafeeden] of the General Directorate of Passports
• The Wafeeden Directorate shall conduct an investigation and take their biometric information [fingerprinting and eye scan] of the individual
• The Wafeeden Directorate may release the violator after presentation of guarantee [kafala] and penalty acceptable to the GDP [Jawazat] after it assured that any decision issued by the Administrative Committee of the Jawazat, either for repatriation or imprisonment, may be implemented;

3. Violators of the terms of their hajj, umrah, visit or tourist visa

• Upon arrest, the police authorities will turn them over to immigration authorities for investigation and biometric documentation [fingerprinting].
• The owner of the hajj, umrah, tourist company or visit sponsor shall be summoned by the Jawazat and asked to provide their passports and airline tickets.
• The Jawazat will issue deportation visas and release the violators under the guarantee of a sponsor, who must submit proof of their departure within two (2) weeks of such issuance.
• Failure on the part of the sponsor to submit proof of the departure could result into suspension of his personal records and activities in the government’s computer system.

4. Those who overstayed their umrah/hajj visas who voluntarily surrender

• For those who present their original passports and tickets, the Directorate for Expatriates [Wafeeden] of the General Directorate for Jawazat shall subject them to investigation and routine security checks before they are issued exit visas and allowed to depart.

5. Those arrested by the police authorities with no form of identification

• They will be turned over to immigration authorities.
• They will be electronically documented [Jawazat will take their biometrics and fingerprints].
• They will be detained until a decision, based on the investigation, is reached by the Jawazat authorities on whether or not they shall be deported or further detained.
• Those who will be eventually deported after electronic documentation will never be allowed to enter the Kingdom ever again.

The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah advises all Filipino nationals in the Kingdom who wish to avail of the Saudi government’s amnesty for overstayers of their umrah, hajj or visitor’s visas, that they would need to do the following in order to fast-track their deportation:

• Prepare the ORIGINAL OR COPY OF THE PASSPORT USED TO ENTER THE KINGDOM WHERE THE ENTRY NUMBER WAS STAMPED OR WRITTEN;
• Prepare the money needed to purchase a one-way ticket back to the Philippines and SR 120, if without passport or passport has expired; and
• Approach the Philippine Consulate General – Assistance to Nationals Section for a briefing and issuance of Travel Document, as needed.

The following procedure will be observed:

• Upon presentation of the original or copy of the passport where the entry number is written, the Philippine Consulate General would obtain the appropriate computer print-out record from the General Directorate for Passports [Jawazat] for Hajj and umrah pilgrims. The print-out is needed in applying for an exit visa. This is done during regular office days.
• APPLICATIONS OF FILIPINO OVERSTAYERS FOR EXIT VISAS ARE ENTERTAINED ONLY ON SATURDAYS.
• The Filipino overstayer, together with the computer print-out of the record from the Immigration Office for Hajj and Umrah Pilgrims, will proceed to the Finger Printing Office to have his personal details, picture and fingerprint taken.
• The exit visa is stamped.
• THE FILIPINO MUST EXIT WITHIN THE VERY SAME SATURDAY. Failure to exit within the day would require redoing the whole process.

Those who have lost the passports that they used when they entered the Kingdom and do not have a copy of the same will be duly assisted by the Philippine Consulate General by making appropriate representations with the Saudi Government regarding their repatriation.

For inquiries, please: (a) write the Philippine Consulate General, P.O. Box 4794, Jeddah 21412 or Uum Al Qurah St., Rehab District, Jeddah, KSA; or (b) fax letter to +966(02)66967697; or (c) email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ;  or (d) call Vice Consul Lorenzo Rhys G. Jungco, CP No. 0505691801.