Saudi Arabia Relaxed Visa Requirements For US, UK, Schengen Visas

Visa-on-arrival for holders of valid visas for the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Schengen region has been reinstated in Saudi Arabia with immediate effect. Two weeks after lifting all Covid-19-related entrance restrictions, Saudi Arabia has restored its pre-pandemic levels of openness, bringing the nation back to pre-pandemic levels.

Travelers from any country who possess one of the three visa types and who are flying with one of the kingdom’s official airlines – Saudia, Flynas, or Flyadeal – may now get a 12-month tourist visa on arrival in Saudi Arabia without the need to submit an application in advance.

Visitors with a valid visa from the United States, the United Kingdom, or the Schengen area must have used their visa at least once to visit the originating nation or region in order to be eligible for a visa on arrival in Saudi Arabia. Aside from that, visitors will need to get Covid-19 travel insurance, which can be obtained at any of Saudi Arabia’s major international airports.

A visa on arrival is available to citizens of any nation that is qualified for the e-visa program, which was launched in 2019. This applies regardless of the airline they are traveling with.

One of the most easily accessible vacation spots

According to Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism for Saudi Arabia and Chairman of STA, “restoring the visa-on-arrival program is the final step in returning Saudi Arabia to a pre-pandemic level of openness and makes it one of the most accessible destinations in the world for leisure, business, and religious travel.”

According to the Saudi government, “this decision will further help the many thousands of individuals who rely on tourism for their livelihoods, while also welcome visitors from across the globe back to Saudi Arabia with the warm hospitality for which the Saudi people are famous.”

Travel restrictions imposed by Saudi Arabia to safeguard citizens from the effects of the coronavirus epidemic were lifted on March 6, according to the country’s foreign ministry. It is no longer necessary to provide evidence of vaccination or a positive PCR test in order to enter Saudi Arabia. The use of the red list of nations that were formerly barred from entering has been terminated. Regulations requiring institutions to maintain quarantine have been completely eliminated, and social separation regulations have been abolished. It is only in confined public venues that masks are necessary.

There have been 11 new destinations added.

Saudi Arabia opened its borders to foreign leisure travelers in September 2019, little than six months before the country’s borders were closed as a result of the Ebola outbreak. The government has modified its tourism strategy to place more emphasis on increasing domestic visitors, launching 11 new sites and developing more than 270 tourist packages in the process.

As a consequence, according to the statement, Saudi Arabia has had two consecutive years of rise in leisure travel without seeing a corresponding increase in Covid-19 instances.

As Al Khateeb said, “Saudi Arabia has emerged from the epidemic with a flourishing leisure and entertainment industry that includes some of the biggest events in the world, as well as a compelling cultural tourist offer and an expanding number of local firms committed to tourism.” “We are looking forward to greeting people from all over the globe who are eager to see the true home of Arabia,” said the company.