ENHANCED SCREENING PROCEDURES AT SAUDI AIRPORTS

According to a report released on 15 July 2009 and compiled by the Overseas Security and Advisory Council and the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi officials are more actively screening all electronic devices carried by both arriving and departing foreign passengers at Saudi airports. Airport and customs officials have long had the authority to search a passenger’s personal possessions for illicit materials, but the checks are becoming more strictly enforced. According to the report, officials are randomly selecting foreign passengers and are searching such items as memory cards, external hard drives, laptop computers, iPods, other MP3 players, mobilel phones and cameras any type of illicit material such as pornography; personal items can be confiscated. Any traveller refusing screening procedures will be detained by authorities and possibly deported. The report also cites that those refusing screening will be black-listed by the Saudi government. The screening procedures implemented are not new policies. Nevertheless, travellers should ensure that their possessions are free of illicit materials – for which the Saudi government has low standards as to what may be restricted – and should ensure that devices carried do not contain sensitive material (whether personal or professional documents) that the traveller would not want searched