Get clearance before exiting Saudi, OFWs advised

Philippine officials in Saudi Arabia reminded Filipinos working there to secure police clearances first before leaving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for good. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Antonio Villamor said this particularly applies for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who want to find work in western countries. “Former Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who try to seek employment or migrate to Western countries are required to submit a clearance or certificate of no criminal record from police authorities in countries where they used to reside or work," he said in an article posted on Saudi-based news site Arab News. Villamor said securing a police clearance before leaving the Kingdom will save them money and time when they apply to work or migrate to other countries. He said the procedure laid down for acquiring police clearance involve: * Application of police clearance containing full name of the applicant, passport number, statement of purpose of the application, fingerprint card form available from the consulate or the embassy; * Endorsement of the request or application for police clearance by the authorities concerned (usually by the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs) to the Saudi Embassy in Manila; * Transmission of the application by the Saudi Embassy in Manila to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Riyadh; * Referral of the application by the MFA to the Saudi Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution, and * Transmission of the result of the verification through the MFA to the Saudi Embassy in Manila. “Then only after the Saudi Embassy in Manila replies to the request coursed through the Department of Foreign Affairs can the applicant receive his or her Saudi police clearance certificate," Villamor said. He encouraged OFWs to take time to apply for police clearance. Villamor emphasized the need for OFWs to keep their personal documents updated at all times and to plan ahead to spare themselves unnecessary trouble and expenses. –VVP, GMANews.TV