Saudi Arabia lifts travel restrictions on women

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.

For women trying to escape from domestic violence, the rules made it extremely difficult and dangerous to flee the country. Those who were able to get out said they hacked into phones and changed the settings on a government app that grants women permission to leave, The Associated Press reports. Saudi Arabia has slowly been moving forward with reforms, granting women the right to drive in 2018.

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