Passports for Saudi women without guardian’s nod

Jeddah: A full session of the Shura Council is expected to soon discuss a proposal seeking to grant Saudi women the right to apply for their own passports without their guardians’ permission.

The proposal was submitted by the Shoura’s security committee and is aimed at empowering women, and protecting them from attempts to smuggle them across the nation’s borders to conflict zones, including Iraq, Syria and Yemen, a local publication reported Monday.

The report stated that the discussion at the Shoura would focus on achieving consistency in terms of the way women are treated compared to men with regard to the issue of passports, which includes reducing the harm caused to them.

This discussion takes place in the wake of the Cabinet having already decided to allow women to have their own national identity cards. This decision was based on a Shoura Council recommendation.

The issuing of passports to women without the consent of their guardians is consistent with the current law, which states that a citizen only has to be 18 years of age to apply for a passport, with no distinction made in terms of gender.

The security committee said that the issue of granting passports to married and unmarried women would reduce the problems they face while traveling.

These amendments would not contravene Islamic law or the customs of the country, the committee had stated in its proposal.