Khaberni - The General Director of the Civil Status and Passports Department, Gaith Al-Tayeb, said on Monday that the adoption of the digital identity obliges institutions and official entities to accept it, while it remains in the private sector subject to the discretion of the concerned entity.
Al-Tayeb indicated during his talk on the "Voice of the Kingdom" program, that the citizen is no longer required to carry both versions, as they can use the app to display their digital identity and verify it using the available technical features such as the Quick Response (QR) Code.
He confirmed that the department relies on a comprehensive legislative system including the Civil Status Law, the Passports Law, the Personal Status Law, and the Nationality Law, clarifying that the recent amendment was to the Civil Status Law and dealt with the issue of identity.
Al-Tayeb explained that the currently used identity is a smart identity containing an electronic chip that stores part of the owner's data, noting that the previous law did not address the digital identity, which necessitated making an amendment to settle the debate and define its legal validity.
He illustrated that the digital identity set up through the "Sanad" application is a digital reflection and representation of the traditional identity, and cannot exist without the latter, affirming that the law has officially authorized its use after completing its approval stages in the National Assembly, making it accredited and legally valid in government transactions.
He mentioned that the expiration of the traditional identity necessarily means the expiration of the digital identity, which requires renewing the card so that the updated data is reflected in the application.
Al-Tayeb asserted that the move towards the adoption of the digital identity comes within the framework of digital transformation and the public sector development roadmap, which aims to simplify procedures and enhance integration between institutions, noting that the Civil Status and Passports Department is connected with about 280 government entities, supporting the concept of a unified government and reducing the demand for paper documents from citizens.
