Saudi Shoura Council to discuss granting women passports without consent

Saudi Arabia’s Shoura Council will discuss changes to travel regulations to enable women to obtain passports without the consent of their male guardian, according to reports.

Saudi Gazette cited deputy chairman of the council’s security committee Atta Al-Thibaiti as saying the committee had discussed the study and forwarded it to the general assembly for consideration.

The proposal was put forward by five Shoura members during the previous session of the council.

“The proposal will be included in the council’s agenda for the coming months,” he was quoted as saying.

The new amendments would give women the right to issue their own travel documents.

They would also mean that wife and children over the age of 18 are no longer added to the father’s passport.

Al-Thibaiti said the changes would prevent male guardians from misusing their guardianship over their wife and female children, according to the publication.

It was unclear if they would also allow travel without the male guardian’s consent.

Read: Saudi grants 50 women the right to travel without a male guardian