Saudi Arabia will begin a biometric visa program in an effort to improve their visa services while also strengthening their national security, according to an Economic Times article. The system, which is expected to begin in 2010, will require a seeker of a visa provide fingerprint samples and a digital photograph.

Officials from the country’s government have already begun seeking out companies to assist them with the setup of service centers throughout the world in major cities to both take care of the issuance of visas as well as the collection of the biometric data.