Saudi woman: showing the face has become a necessity - Arab News

While the government requires women to have ID cards that show their face, it is not clear whether they need permission from a male relative:

“In less than a year and a half all Saudi women must have their own ID cards,” said an official at the Ministry of Interior who preferred to remain anonymous. “And yet the process to acquire this is something they — Saudi women — can do on their own according to Riyadh and cannot do on their own according to Jeddah. Which one is it to be? Saudi women ask.”

Indeed. Which is it?

“A Saudi woman’s passport without the approval of a male guardian would only suffice in the case when she doesn’t have any male guardian,” said Turki Mohammad Al-Malafekh, the director general of Jeddah Civil Status Department. “Other than that a male guardian must come in person and apply, provide approval and verify her identity by signing on the back of her photograph,” he added.

But, from Hissah Al-Suwaileh, the head of Women’s Civil Status Department in Riyadh:

Saudi women are misinformed about the requirements for ID card application. They assume that the approval of their male guardians is a fundamental condition to obtain it. In fact, according to Al-Suwaileh, a Saudi woman who has a valid passport can apply and obtain her ID card without needing a male guardian. Only in the case of a Saudi woman not owning a passport, does she need a male guardian to verify her identity.

Well that does make some things self evident. A female bank employee says

The process of identification has kept pace with modern technology as in many parts of the world with voice detectors, retina and palm scanners being used. We however still are at point zero dealing with the photo issue: To show or not to show!