Saudi Arabia Unveils Digital ‘Self-Deportation’ Portal and AI-Powered Immigration Smart Track
Kingdom’s Passports Directorate launches twin digital systems to streamline exit procedures and transform airport immigration flow
Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) has announced the forthcoming launch of two major digital initiatives aimed at overhauling exit and immigration procedures.
At the Digital Government Forum 2025 in Riyadh, Acting Director-General Maj. Gen. Saleh Al-Murabba revealed the “Self-Deportation Platform,” enabling individuals who are in the Kingdom illegally to complete departure procedures entirely online.
The announcement also introduced a “Smart Track” system for airports and border checkpoints that uses artificial intelligence and smart cameras to verify identities and process groups of travellers simultaneously.
Under the Self-Deportation Platform, once security and technical preparations are finalised, individuals identified as violators of residency, labour or border regulations will be able to access a digital portal to submit required exit documentation without in-person processing.
This sets a new precedent in moving manual, paper-based deportation workflows into a streamlined digital flow.
The directorate indicated that the rollout will occur “shortly,” though no specific date has been given.
The Smart Track system complements the departure-process reforms and focuses on immigration flow at travel hubs.
According to the announcement, the system uses smart camera arrays and artificial-intelligence verification to process batches of up to 35 people at once, reducing or potentially eliminating the need for a routine passport-control officer at certain checkpoints.
It will operate once integration with Jawazat’s security databases is complete.
Officials say these measures will significantly reduce queues and waiting times at airports and land ports.
In addition, the reforms build upon the wider digital-service ecosystem in Saudi Arabia.
The Absher platform, which already offers over 100 digital services and served more than 24 million users in 2024, will continue to expand.
Among the enhancements: the platform supports digital passports, international cooperation for data-exchange gateways, and a “Smart Voice Agent” service available 24 hours a day.
The new exit and immigration systems reflect the kingdom’s ambition to position itself as a pioneer in government-digitalisation under its Vision 2030 agenda.
By linking self-service departure flows, AI-enabled identity verification and unified data systems, the Kingdom aims to provide a faster, more seamless travel experience for all who enter or exit the country.
The move also underlines Saudi Arabia’s broader goal of transforming its immigration, border-control and public-service infrastructure into “smart gateways” for global connectivity.
As the technical and security facets are finalised, attention now turns to the rollout schedule and how these systems will be adopted in practice.
At the Digital Government Forum 2025 in Riyadh, Acting Director-General Maj. Gen. Saleh Al-Murabba revealed the “Self-Deportation Platform,” enabling individuals who are in the Kingdom illegally to complete departure procedures entirely online.
The announcement also introduced a “Smart Track” system for airports and border checkpoints that uses artificial intelligence and smart cameras to verify identities and process groups of travellers simultaneously.
Under the Self-Deportation Platform, once security and technical preparations are finalised, individuals identified as violators of residency, labour or border regulations will be able to access a digital portal to submit required exit documentation without in-person processing.
This sets a new precedent in moving manual, paper-based deportation workflows into a streamlined digital flow.
The directorate indicated that the rollout will occur “shortly,” though no specific date has been given.
The Smart Track system complements the departure-process reforms and focuses on immigration flow at travel hubs.
According to the announcement, the system uses smart camera arrays and artificial-intelligence verification to process batches of up to 35 people at once, reducing or potentially eliminating the need for a routine passport-control officer at certain checkpoints.
It will operate once integration with Jawazat’s security databases is complete.
Officials say these measures will significantly reduce queues and waiting times at airports and land ports.
In addition, the reforms build upon the wider digital-service ecosystem in Saudi Arabia.
The Absher platform, which already offers over 100 digital services and served more than 24 million users in 2024, will continue to expand.
Among the enhancements: the platform supports digital passports, international cooperation for data-exchange gateways, and a “Smart Voice Agent” service available 24 hours a day.
The new exit and immigration systems reflect the kingdom’s ambition to position itself as a pioneer in government-digitalisation under its Vision 2030 agenda.
By linking self-service departure flows, AI-enabled identity verification and unified data systems, the Kingdom aims to provide a faster, more seamless travel experience for all who enter or exit the country.
The move also underlines Saudi Arabia’s broader goal of transforming its immigration, border-control and public-service infrastructure into “smart gateways” for global connectivity.
As the technical and security facets are finalised, attention now turns to the rollout schedule and how these systems will be adopted in practice.
