Saudi Arabian nationals will now be able to travel to the UK for tourism, business, study or medical treatment without obtaining a visa.
Neil Crompton, the UK Ambassador to Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday that the new Electronic Visa Waiver system for Saudi nationals had gone online, meaning that citizens of the kingdom could apply for a visa waiver to visit the UK.
Saudi nationals looking to take advantage of the new system will need to apply online on the UK government’s website and pay a GBP30 application fee. Following application, a decision will be sent to the applicants email address within 24 hours.
“A wonderful moment which will strengthen ties between the two countries,” Crompton said in a tweet.
Saudi Arabia has been taking steps to reform its own visa reforms in recent months.
Last month, it was announced that expats looking to work and reside in Saudi Arabia for a limited period of time, or permanently, can now apply for the kingdom’s Premium Residency Visa in a much easier and faster way through its newly announced Unified National Platform for Visas.
This change was viewed as positive by experts for the long-term economic potential of the kingdom.
“We anticipate an influx of affluent individual investors who will seize this opportunity to incorporate businesses in KSA and take advantage of the booming Saudi market,” Scott Cairns, managing director of Creation Business Consultants said at the time.
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