MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei proposed imposing exit visas for expatriates to be able to leave the country.

The lawmaker submitted a draft law to amend existing laws requiring that expatriates working in the private sector must obtain a special permit from the public manpower authority to be able to leave the country.

The permit can be given only after the approval of the expatriates’ sponsors.

Currently Saudi Arabia and Qatar are the only states in the Gulf that require exit visas from their expatriate community.

Tabtabaei proposed that the exit visa measure should apply to expatriates in the private sector and domestic helpers. Expatriates working in the government already cannot leave without a permit from the government department employing them.