Riyadh, Saudi Arabia– Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday that it will grant e-visa to visitors from six new countries — Turkiye, Thailand, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles and Mauritius — for leisure, business and religious (Umrah only) travel, bringing the total number of such countries to 63.
A visitor e-visa is also provided to holders of valid Schengen, UK and US visas that have been used to enter those countries before arriving in Saudi Arabia, and to permanent residents of EU and GCC countries, the UK and the US.
Saudi Arabia grants the free 96-hour Stopover Visa, allowing passengers traveling via SAUDIA and Flynas to stay in the country for up to 96 hours before reaching their final destination.
This step comes as an extension of the efforts aimed at supporting development and economic diversification to achieve the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which include raising the tourism sector’s contribution to the GDP from 3 percent to over 10 percent and providing one million job opportunities in the Saudi tourism sector, SPA reported.
The kingdom’s Ministry of Tourism launched the visitor e-visa in 2019 to present an opportunity for tourists and visitors from eligible countries to explore the Kingdom’s tourist destinations, participate in entertainment events, and learn about Saudi culture and its authentic traditions.
The ministry intends to continue expanding the number of countries and regions whose citizens may receive visitor e-visa, coinciding with the ongoing development and expansion of the tourism sector infrastructure in the Kingdom, the SPA report said.