The Yemeni Ambassador in Riyadh, Dr. Shaye Mohsen Al-Zindani, inaugurated the first week of this December , the smart personal card issuance service at the Yemen embassy headquarters in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as the first center abroad to issue “smart cards” with high technology and specifications, including the biometric fingerprint and the national number.

It is worth mentioning that in the year 2009 AD, the European Union organized, through their office in Sana’a, an integrated study towards creating a unified national database, and a group of experts from Britain, Germany, France, and Yemen were contracted at that time. However, the centers of power in the Yemeni government and the armed forces rejected the project as interference in internal affairs. Al-Yamni, which was denied at the time by the European Union office in Sanaa.

Jamal  Alawadhi, one of the Yemeni specialists who worked within the European Union team of experts, pointed out that the study was mainly aimed at organizing the data and statistics process and facilitating the process of combating corruption and double-employment, in addition to reducing foreign terrorist elements that were granted Yemeni passports, which enabled them to move freely. Inside and outside Yemen.

Alawadhi stressed that the inauguration of this project represents the largest administrative victory of its kind since the outbreak of war and a real achievement for the Yemeni Ambassador Shaye’  and the leadership of the Ministry of Interior under the auspices and support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Ambassador Shaye said in a special interview with the French Press and Studies Agency from Paris that the embassy has made continuous efforts to coordinate with the leadership of the Ministry of Interior, represented by Major General Ibrahim Ali Haidan, Minister of Interior, in order to open the first center for the automatic issuance of smart cards abroad at the embassy headquarters to serve Yemeni residents in the Kingdom. And facilitating all services related to consular affairs, such as issuing passports, civil and personal status transactions, etc. His Excellency the Ambassador praised the support provided by His Excellency Major General Ibrahim Haidan, Minister of Interior, and his keenness to follow up the stages of work with the specialized team from the Ministry of Interior to complete all necessary preparations and launch the work in record time.

The Yemeni ambassador added that the embassy will make more efforts to automatically issue smart cards today: We will make every effort to serve the Yemeni citizen in the Kingdom, with the latest technologies that save the citizen time and effort, and the process of issuing smart cards will be through the “book an appointment” service from the embassy’s portal on the website. Similar to the procedures followed in the passport issuance service.

The Ministry of Interior had previously launched, in the temporary capital, Aden, the civil status system for issuing personal cards with a smart chip, in line with the requirements and goals of the government in the technological and electronic field to develop the information infrastructure in the country.

It is noteworthy that the “smart card” allows the verification of a person’s identity through the fingerprints and face of government agencies, proving identity, passing through ports with electronic systems, and conducting various financial transactions. A single system will be adopted to deal with issuing cards, collecting data on all citizens who hold the card and facilitating tasks. Statistics, as well as their adoption in electoral processes because they are highly reliable and contribute to reducing crime and corruption.