The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia has introduced an electronic visa waiver program for visitors from the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. This move has been praised for facilitating easier access to the Kingdom for British and Irish nationals who wish to visit.
Under this new measure, visitors from the UK and Ireland can now obtain a single-entry e-visa, allowing them to stay in Saudi Arabia for up to six months. The e-visa is applicable for various purposes, including business, tourism, study, and medical treatment.
To obtain the e-visa, applicants can fill out an application form on the Unified National Visa Platform, which is accessible through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. The application window is open from 90 days to two days before the intended travel date to Saudi Arabia. Once the application is successfully submitted, the approved e-visa will be delivered to the applicant via email within 24 hours.
James Elliot-Square, regional business development manager at advisory company PRO Partner Group, highlights that this new electronic visa waiver will ease travel restrictions and attract more tourists to the Kingdom. The flexibility of the e-visa allows UK citizens to visit Saudi Arabia for various purposes, positioning the country as an attractive destination for tourism, business, education, and medical services.
Saudi Arabia has been implementing measures to ease travel restrictions, and the introduction of this e-visa waiver for visitors from the UK and Ireland is a testament to the country’s efforts to attract talent, businesses, and investment. Saudi Arabia recognizes the UK as one of its largest foreign investor nations, and this move indicates the country’s commitment to fostering long-term relationships with its partners.
In July, Saudi Arabia had already announced new instant e-visa options for travelers with UK, US, Schengen visas, and permanent residents of those countries, further streamlining the visa application process.
These visa measures align with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan, aiming to achieve 100 million annual visits by 2030. Since opening its doors to tourism in 2019, Saudi Arabia has emerged as one of the fastest-growing tourism markets globally, recording an impressive 93.5 million visits in 2022, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The country’s efforts to enhance accessibility for international visitors demonstrate its commitment to becoming a prominent destination on the global tourism map.