Saudi Arabia expands e-visa to travellers from eight new countries
Countries include Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, the Maldives, South Africa, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan…
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism has announced that nationals from eight new countries will now be granted electronic tourist visas as part of the Kingdom’s efforts to boost the tourism sector.
The countries include Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, the Maldives, South Africa, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Nationals of these countries can apply for a visitor visa electronically or upon arrival at one of the Kingdom’s ports.
Saudi Arabia welcomes the world by expanding the issuance of visit visas to 8 new countries and facilitating the visa issuance procedures, either electronically or at KSA ports, in order to offer an unforgettable travel experience.#MinistryofTourism pic.twitter.com/ypOmSP6Kcp
— وزارة السياحة (@Saudi_MT) August 6, 2023
The e-visa can be used for leisure and business purposes, as well as to perform Umrah and visit family and friends. It is valid for an entire year, grants multiple entries, and permits a stay of up to 90 days.
Recently, Saudi Arabia introduced a new electronic visa waiver for nationals of the UK and Ireland. And early this year, a free stopover visa was made available to passengers travelling on SAUDIA and flynas flights. The visa allows travellers to stay in the country for up to 96 hours, and stopover visa holders are eligible for a complimentary one-night hotel stay during the stopover when booking through SAUDIA.
Additionally, in 2022, Saudi Arabia extended regulations to provide a visitor e-visa to holders of a valid UK, US, and Schengen visa and to residents of the UK, US, and EU.
The e-visa program was launched in 2019 that initially targeted 49 countries and has now increased to 57 after the new additions. This initiative aligns with Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector strategy outlined in Saudi Vision 2030.
Images: Social