Report For Stolen Iqama Within 24 Hours To Avoid Penalty

The authorities of Kingdom are stepping up by taking combative measures to grasp the people involved in illegal activities in the bud as the kingdom witness the development of a booming market for stolen iqama being sold because of phony acts or the gangs threatening the original iqama holder.

To control such extortions government has relinquished fine being enforced to the expats for stolen resident cards and assisting themselves to get a new one from the passport office. And the obvious conditions are that the residency permit isn’t lost due to receptacle’s carelessness and the theft is informed within a time period of 24 hours. If none of the condition is fulfilled a fine of SR.1000 would be paid for it being lost or stolen and SR.2000 and SR.3000 for any such incidence for the second and third time. [Read: Check Iqama Validity]

It is believed that the residency permit trade is being controlled by the African emigrants in Jeddah. They have even asked the sufferers to pay for iqama on the basis of their nationality whereas there are also iqamas which are fictitious and are being sold out or used for some illegal activities.

The central point of running the residency permits job is “Somali Souq” a place in Jeddah and most of the stolen or lost iqamas are found here. Many emigrants who lose or get their iqama stolen visit this market to get their documents without informing police because of the fear of any inconvenience.

[Read: Check How many sims are registered under your iqama.]

Police officials have denied the existence of any organized gang and also advise all the emigrants to report to police rather than going directly to deal with the thieves at the first place in case if their iqama is stolen. Jeddah police officer Atti Al-Qurashi narrated to the Arab news that collaboration of the expats will help the police in arresting such gangs. These gangs have no permanent location but with the collaboration of expats we can catch such criminals easily he also added that the police is carrying out regular patrols to arrest any iqama thieves. 

An Egyptian expat reported to the news channel that “two Africans tried to contact him and asked him for Rs.1000 in order to get back the iqama, but later I found that my iqama was with another African expat.”

[Read: How to change iqama profession?]

Anyhow, police raid played a major role in cutting such activities by arresting hundreds of African gangs stealing official documents and iqamas in the past few years.

Iqama is a major document for the emigrants who live in the kingdom and are ready to pay the price to have it back in case if they lose it without contacting the police officials because they think they would have to pay for a penalty in such situation. The interior ministry made an announcement that for a lost or stolen iqama it must be reported within a time period of 24 hours along with a letter from the guarantor declaring the reason and place where it was lost to avoid penalty.

Kingdoms passport office representatives have told Arab news “as per the laws set by the ministry of government if anyone got his iqama stolen specifically in Madinah or Makkah they can get a replacement after proving that it’s been stolen. A building security officer shared his experience that his iqama got stolen when he was drinking water, he reported that matter on the same day and got its replacement straightaway without paying any penalty. [Read: Newborn baby iqama procedure.]