Saudi Arabia lifts travel restrictions on women

A Saudi woman drives her car.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Women in Saudi Arabia will now be able to apply for passports and travel abroad without permission from male guardians, the Saudi government announced early Friday.

Under the new law, any citizen 21 or older can apply for a passport and travel outside of the country without prior consent. Previously, a woman had to receive approval from their husband, father, son, or other male relative to obtain a passport or travel outside of the kingdom. Women can also now register marriages, divorces, and births, and receive official family documents.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.