MOHAMMED RASOOLDEEN
COLOMBO – Pakeer Mohideen Amza, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Saudi Arabia, inaugurated the first Sri Lanka Passport Renewal Centre in Riyadh on February 6.
The Centers in Jeddah and Al Khobar have also been made operational subsequently.
The Sri Lanka Passport Renewal Centres in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar have started accepting walk-in passport renewal requests from Sunday to Thursday, between 9AM and 5PM.
Ambassador Amza told Colombo Times from Riyadh that this is a new service introduced for the convenience of the migrant workers who had to travel long distances to reach the Lankan missions in Riyadh or Jeddah. However, he said the passport renewal services will be still available for workers who want to avail themselves of the mission’s services.
Former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Azmi Thassim who is currently on a visit to the Kingdom told Colombo Ti,es that this was a long-felt need of the migrant workers which the new envoy has rendered.
Senior expatriate of the Lankan community. Nihal Gamage said that this is a welcome sign for the migrant workers who travel a long distance for the passport renewal.” We thank the new ambassador for introducing this service,” he added.
