Interior ministry: No travel restrictions for those who undergo face-lift plastic surgery

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — The Ministry of Interior revealed that there are no travel restrictions for those who underwent face-lift plastic surgeries.

Speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, Col. Talal Al-Shalhoub, security spokesman of the Ministry of Interior, said that a change in facial features caused by plastic surgeries for medical or cosmetic reasons will not affect the passage of male and female passengers through the passport control gates at the airports.

“If any passenger leaves the Kingdom and returns to it after undergoing a plastic surgery that makes major changes to the facial features, this will not prevent the passenger from completing the entry procedures, even if the image in the passport does not match the realistic facial features,” he said while noting that the Passports officials at the entry ports rely on advanced technologies, including fingerprints and iris scans to identify people under all circumstances,” he said.

The spokesman said that the Saudi Passports Directorate relies on the personal photo in the passport of Saudis through the basic photo previously approved by the Civil Status Department when issuing or renewing the Civil Status ID card, as the department is the competent authority for any update on the personal photo.