The Saudi authorities deny reports that covering women's hair and necks in ID photos is no longer necessary since the latest amendments to Saudi Arabia's civil affairs system.
The amendments were published in Saudi Arabia's official gazette, Umm Al Qura, prompting reports in some media and blogs that Saudi women are no longer required to cover their hair and necks when taking their national ID photos.
In response, the Interior Ministry's Civil Status Service clarified in an ensuing statement that the covering remains mandatory.
Civil affairs has approved amendments to the civil affairs regulation related to exempted age groups and cases such as those from 10 to 14 years and some illness cases, the service said.
Recent years have seen Saudi Arabia ease restrictions on women's attributes in public, amid a nationwide effort to empower women and integrate them in the labor market as part of dramatic social reforms.
