Saudi Gazette report

DAMMAM — The Civil Affairs has revealed that citizens are allowed to change their photos in national IDs if their features have changed significantly because of disease, weight loss surgery or any other factor, Al-Hayat newspaper reported.

"The photo will be updated by all departments of the Ministry of Interior, including passports and traffic," said Mohammed Al-Jasser, a spokesman for the Civil Affairs.

Photos on national IDs and passports have been cause of embarrassment and source of ridicule for many people in Saudi Arabia for a long time due to their inability to get them changed.

The issue of photos on ID cards again became a central issue especially after women started issuing separate IDs.