Saudi Arabia relaxes visit visa regulations
The Saudi government is upbeat being a tourism powerhouse and has revised it’s target for 2030. In order to attract more tourists the Saudi government allows those visit visa holders who have a valid visa or permanent residency from the US/ UK or Schengen member states and applied for Saudi visit visa for 1 year and entered the Kingdom using the 1 year visa.
Those visa holders will now be allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia even if their valid visa from UK/US or Schengen Member state has subsequently expired but they have still have a valid visa for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and have entered kingdom before.
This is also applicable for residents of these regions who had valid permanent residency at the time of first entry into Saudi Arabia but on subsequent visit their permanent residency has expired.
Why Saudi Arabia relaxes visit visa regulations?
Tourism development is an important driver of growth for the future of Saudi Arabia. It is one of the key pillars at the heart of Vision 2030’s plan to help diversify the economy and reduce reliance on oil. The Ministry of Tourism, the Saudi Tourism Authority and the Tourism Development Fund were established in line with international best practice and with clear remits to support the growth of this significant sector and help it to flourish.
100 Million visitors
The Saudi government had initially set a target of 100 Million visitors by 2030 but it reached the target 7 years earlier.
Below is copy of circular
