SAMA received the letter of the Director of the Asir Prisons Department No. 9/2814/25 dated 5/7/1429 H stating that the banks of the region refuse to provide banking services to prison inmates in various governorates, violating the requirements of the instructions issued by SAMA to banks operating in the Kingdom, which stipulated that the main teller in the branch, customer services officer or a higher official be assigned to go to the security vehicle outside the branches headquarters, meet prisoners and enable them to conduct operations and services provided by banks, as branch employees are still requesting the prisoners’ personal information to the branch headquarters, despite the difficulty of bringing the prisoners down while handcuffed and taking turns among the reviewers, and the risks and security warnings that this entails. 

Therefore, SAMA hopes to fully comply with Rule No. (200-1-1) of the Rules for Opening Bank Accounts in Commercial Banks and the General Rules for their Operation notified to banks operating in the Kingdom under Circular No. 5555/BCI/ 95 dated 8/2/1428 H regarding "Saudi Citizens / Prison Inmates", which stipulated the opening of accounts for prison inmates when they apply to banks accompanied by security guards affiliated with the General Administration of Prisons, and to obtain from the guards a letter from the prison administration in the city where the prison is located addressed to the branch clarifies the prisoner's name, ID number and desire to open the account, so that the main teller in the branch, customer services officer or any higher official is assigned to the security vehicle outside the branch headquarters, meeting the prisoner and completing the account opening procedures, indicating the presence of the prisoner customer in prison on the date of the account opening request and enabling the customer to conduct operations and services provided by the bank, which also stipulated that the prisoner is allowed to manage and operate his account with the same mechanism and procedures, and if the prisoner is a woman, the prison administration's letter is accepted as her identification if she does not present her personal status card or passport as her identity and allows and signs consent to be photographed. 

To inform and notify all branches of this and to confirm full compliance with the provisions of the controls referred to above.