Foreign Ministry issues news guidelines for consular services

AMMAN — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Sunday announced initial steps to improve consular services provided by the Kingdom's embassies and diplomatic missions to Jordanian expatriates, a ministry statement said. 

The Foreign Ministry has started working with the concerned government institutions on a "long-term plan to automate consulate services". 

The new steps set timelines to provide consular services and activate hotlines to receive citizens' calls around the clock, and likewise a new section in the ministry's operations room to receive calls and complaints, and to forward reports to the foreign minister. 

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the ministry approved the initial steps after a recommendation from the taskforce he formed last week.  The envisioned plans include issuing passports within five working days from the date of receiving an eligible application and issuance of passports that are lost or damaged within 10 working days in countries that have devices to print passports. 

The devices are available in 25 countries where around 100 passports are issued annually, while in places with no printing devices the applications will be sent in diplomatic bags, the statement said.

Embassies and diplomatic missions will apply the new guidelines in the next few days after completing legal and constitutional measures to amend the fees system and consulate services, the statement added. 

The steps include completing consular applications that do not require approval by official parties, accreditations of all kinds, marriage contracts and applications to add personal details to passports, which all should be carried out on the same day of their submission or the next day at the latest, according to the statement. 

Legal applications should be completed the same day, as long as an appointment is made in advance.

Embassies and diplomatic missions will be required to complete the accreditation of applications and personal status documents, like the family book, birth and death certificates, certificate of good conduct and the flag service book, on the same day of their submission.

Ministries and the concerned departments in Jordan will send the completed documents in diplomatic bags in order to deliver them to the applicants within one working day of their submission to embassies or diplomatic missions, the statement continued. 

The steps also include preparing halls to receive citizens in diplomatic missions with all the necessities of waiting chairs, drinking water, air conditioners, stationery and clear directions. 

In light of increasing demand on consular services in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries during summer, additional steps were taken that include extending working hours from 8am to 4pm in Riyadh, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat, Manama, Doha and Kuwait, as well as  exploringthe possibility of working on Saturdays or increasing working hours when necessary .

As for residents in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, the embassy in Riyadh will dispatch a team for three days every month during the summer, announcing the dates and location a week before the team's arrival through the websites of the ministry and embassy and media outlets. 

A department will be set up to follow up on issues facing applicants at the ministry in order to receive complaints around-the-clock from the Kingdom and abroad, the statement said. 

All complaints will be dealt with within 24 hours. The contact details include: e-mail Tawasal@fm.gov.jo, telephone +96265501460 and fax +96265735201. 

The hotline will be active outside official working hours in all diplomatic missions and embassies within a week, the statement said, adding that the service is currently available in certain missions, and they are as follows: Abu Dhabi (+971567436777), Erbil (+9647508114442), Ankara (+905340300603), Paris (+33698284928), Riyadh (+966592574366), Beirut (+9615922500), Dubai (+971501828817), Santiago (+56998152017), Vienna (+436507716412), Kuwait (+96599306131), London (+442073684801), Madrid (+34616642149), Manama (+97333803535) and Nairobi (+254789026500).