New visa update: Saudis can now get a five-year Schengen visa
The EU announced the news on Monday…
It’s no secret that Saudis love to travel, and now travel to Europe has been made so much easier. Saudis can now get a multiple-entry five-year visa into the European Union.
The move also applies to other states in the GCC including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and of course Saudi Arabia.
The news was announced by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell at the opening session of the first high-level EU-GCC Forum on Regional Security and Cooperation in Luxembourg.
#عاجل 🔊 بشرى ممتازة اليوم : سيحصل المواطنون السعوديون 🇸🇦 على تأشيرات شنغن 🇪🇺 لمدّة ٥ سنوات عند أول طلب!
قرار أوروبي اتخذ اليوم ودعمته فرنسا بقوّة! الأصدقاء السعوديون، نتطلع إلى رؤية المزيد والمزيد منكم في فرنسا، سواء للسياحة أو العمل! أهلًا وسهلًا بكم في فرنسا!
🇸🇦💙🇨🇵🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/mswyjqqEHu— Ludovic Pouille (@ludovic_pouille) April 22, 2024
The visa can be used in all of the countries below:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Solvakia
- Solvenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
How to get it
According to the rules, Saudi Arabian nationals and third-country nationals who are legally resident in the Kingdom can apply in Saudi Arabia.
To apply for a Schengen visa in Saudi Arabia go to the VFS Global application centre in Al Khobar, Aramco Dhahran, Jeddah or Riyadh. For all first-time visas, you need to register your fingerprints at the office. Normally the Schengen visa costs EUR60 (or SAR240).
Visit: visa.vfsglobal.com or european-union.europa.eu.