The Civil Status and Passports Department began operating on Saturdays at a number of its offices at the start of August, aiming to ease the burden on citizens and facilitate the completion of their transactions, Salah Al-Hawatmeh, Assistant Director General for Financial, Administrative and Technical Affairs, said Saturday.
اضافة اعلان
Speaking at the department’s headquarters, Al-Hawatmeh said Saturday hours covered six offices in Amman, in addition to Civil Status and Passports Department offices located at comprehensive government service centers across the Kingdom’s governorates.
The Civil Status and Passports Department announced extended Saturday working hours at six offices affiliated with the Amman Civil Status and Passports Directorate on September 5 and 12, in response to growing demand for the department’s services.
He said the decision to operate on Saturdays was intended to facilitate access for citizens unable to visit the department during regular working days, Sunday through Thursday. These include heads of households, workers, Tawjihi and university students, and expatriates.
Al-Hawatmeh said performance indicators showed a gradual increase in the number of transactions completed on Saturdays.
He said the number of transactions reached about 1,611 on the first Saturday, August 1, rising to 1,711 on August 8, 2,046 on August 15, 2,174 on August 22, and 2,207 on August 29.
He noted that the department decided to increase Saturday operations during the first and second weeks of September, receiving visitors from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Regarding extended working hours on regular working days, Al-Hawatmeh explained that, due to heavy demand during the peak of the summer season, the department extended working hours at several offices experiencing peak demand and transaction congestion by two hours beyond the official closing time, until 5:30 p.m.
Regarding the time required to process identity card or passport renewal transactions, Al-Hawatmeh said obtaining a passport during regular working hours and peak periods takes between 30 and 45 minutes, while processing takes about 30 minutes on less busy days. The same applies to national identity cards.
On digital transformation, Al-Hawatmeh said the Civil Status and Passports Department has made good progress in electronic and digital services and is working in parallel on both electronic services and traditional procedures.
He explained that some transactions require citizens to appear in person for legal reasons, including issuing an identity card, which requires capturing an iris scan and fingerprint, as well as collecting the completed document.
Al-Hawatmeh said the department has issued about 700,000 digital certificates, while the number of electronic passports issued has reached about 80,000.
He stressed that issuing around 700,000 digital certificates means that the same number of citizens did not need to visit the Civil Status and Passports Department in person to obtain their certificates, sparing them the need to wait to receive the service.
