Camel Passport Initiative By MEWA Strengthens Saudi Camel Sector Regulation And Transparency

The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has introduced a new camel passport system to organise the camel sector across Saudi Arabia. The initiative is designed to standardise identification, strengthen health control, and support transparent commercial activity involving camels within the Kingdom and abroad.

The project is launched by the Vice Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Eng. Mansour Almushaiti. The camel passport is presented as an official identification document that links every registered camel to confirmed health and regulatory information, helping authorities and owners handle records in a consistent digital format.

The camel passport forms part of a wider effort under the National Livestock & Fisheries Development Program. Through this programme, the ministry aims to introduce unified digital and regulatory tools that support long-term sustainability of animal resources and align livestock management with Saudi Vision 2030 targets.

According to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), the camel passport is expected to raise service quality and sector credibility in local and international markets. By adopting one recognised document for each camel, authorities aim to make transactions more reliable and reduce disputes over identity or ownership.

The passport acts as a detailed identification file for every registered camel. It records core characteristics, ownership information and classification data, which allows regulators, veterinarians and owners to access the same verified reference when checking animals at markets, borders, veterinary facilities or transport hubs across the Kingdom.

Information stored in the document includes the microchip number, passport number, name and date of birth. The record also specifies breed, sex, colour, place of birth and issuing authority. The system further requires photographs of the camel’s right and left sides, which support visual confirmation during inspections.

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Health information is a key component of the camel passport. A dedicated vaccination section shows all veterinary vaccinations clearly, creating a formal health history for each animal. This structure supports tracking of infectious diseases, enables quicker veterinary responses, and strengthens monitoring of animal movements between regions.

MEWA states that the camel passport will also help regulate the commercial side of the sector. By linking sales, transport operations and legal documents to the same identification record, the ministry expects stronger protection of owners’ rights and clearer proof of ownership, improving trust between all market participants.

The project is also designed to build a national camel database, with animals classified by sex, age, breed and colour. These statistics will assist planners in managing livestock resources in different regions and support government strategies for organising camel populations across Saudi Arabia, the ministry further indicated through SPA.

With inputs from SPA