Saudi Arabia announces major visa change, passport rules changed for 63 countries

Saudi Arabia has announced it will grant e-visas to six new countries.

The Ministry of Tourism said it will grant an e-visa to visitors from Turkey, Thailand, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles and Mauritius.

The visa is for leisure, business and religious (Umrah only) travel, bringing the total number of countries granted visitor e-visa to 63.

Saudi e-visa change

A visitor e-visa is also provided to holders of valid Schengen, UK and US visas that have been used to enter those countries before arriving in Saudi Arabia, and to permanent residents of EU and GCC countries, the UK and the US.

Saudi Arabia grants the free 96-hour Stopover Visa, allowing passengers traveling via SAUDIA and Flynas to stay in the country for up to 96 hours before reaching their final destination.

This step comes as an extension of the efforts aimed at supporting development and economic diversification to achieve the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

This includes raising the tourism sector’s contribution to the GDP from 3 per cent to more than 10 per cent, and providing one million job opportunities in the Saudi tourism sector.

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The Ministry of Tourism launched the visitor e-visa in 2019 to present an opportunity for tourists and visitors from eligible countries to explore the Kingdom’s tourist destinations, participate in entertainment events, and learn about Saudi culture and its authentic traditions.

The ministry intends to continue expanding the number of countries and regions whose citizens may receive visitor e-visa, coinciding with the ongoing development and expansion of the tourism sector infrastructure in the Kingdom.

As previously reported on Arabian Business, under the new system incoming travellers will no longer need a visa sticker in their passport.

A circular published by the kingdom’s civil aviation authority, GACA, said Saudi visa stickers would be replaced by a printed e-visa featuring a QR code.

The code will contain all the data required and information on the passenger.

The e-visa will replace the stickers for labour, visit or residency visas.