Saudi Arabia expands e-visa issuance to 8 countries

Since the launch of the e-visa program in 2019, the number of tourists to Saudi Arabia in 2022 has increased by 93% compared to 2021, reaching an estimated 93.5 million arrivals.

Illustrative photo (Source: AFP/VNA)

On August 6, Saudi Arabia announced its decision to expand electronic visa ( e-visa ) issuance to tourists from 8 countries.

Specifically, citizens of eight countries: Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, South Africa, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan can apply for an electronic visa to enter Saudi Arabia for tourism, business and religious purposes (including only participating in the Umrah pilgrimage).

This is a 1-year visa, allowing multiple entries and exits with a stay of no more than 90 days.

Since the e-visa program was launched in 2019, tourist arrivals to Saudi Arabia in 2022 have increased by 93% compared to 2021, reaching an estimated 93.5 million arrivals with spending of 185 billion riyals ($49 billion).

There are currently 57 countries eligible to apply for an e- visa to Saudi Arabia. Most recently, in 2022, the country issued e-visas to travelers with valid US, UK and Schengen visas who had entered the visa-issuing country once before arriving in Saudi Arabia, as well as permanent residents of the US, UK, EU and Gulf Arab states.

In early 2023, Saudi Arabia also launched the "96-hour Stopover Visa" program, allowing visitors to take advantage of their transit time to visit the country for up to 96 hours./.

Mai Nguyen (Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/saudi-arabia-mo-rong-cap-thi-thuc-dien-tu-cho-8-quoc-gia-158494.html