By Ghazali Ibrahim
Saudi Arabia has announced plans to introduce official passports for its millions of camels as part of efforts to better manage and regulate the sector.
The initiative, announced by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, is aimed at improving productivity, boosting efficiency, and creating a reliable national database for camels across the kingdom.
Images shared by the ministry show a green passport bearing Saudi Arabia’s coat of arms and a golden camel emblem. The document will serve as a full identification record for each animal.
According to the ministry, the camel passport will include details such as a microchip number, passport number, the camel’s name, date of birth, breed, gender, colour, place of birth, and photographs taken from both sides. It will also carry vaccination records certified by licensed veterinarians.
State broadcaster Al Ekhbariya said the passport system will help organise camel trading and transportation, protect owners’ rights, regulate commercial activities, and make proof of ownership easier.
Saudi authorities estimate that there are about 2.2 million camels in the country as of 2024.
Camels hold deep cultural and economic value in Saudi Arabia. Once a key means of transport across the desert, they remain symbols of status and are central to a thriving breeding industry.
The kingdom also hosts popular camel beauty contests during annual festivals, where prized animals can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. In recent years, authorities have tightened regulations to stop illegal cosmetic enhancements used to gain unfair advantage in competitions.
Camels have been part of life in the Arabian Peninsula for thousands of years. Researchers in 2021 suggested that life-sized camel carvings found in Saudi Arabia could date back as far as 7,000 years, highlighting the animal’s long-standing importance to the region.
