Home
GCC
Saudi Arabia

Covid-19: Saudi citizens will need to be fully vaccinated to travel outside the country from Aug 9

The only exemptions include children aged under 12 and those who have recovered from Covid-19 less than six months prior to the date of travel

by Aarti Nagraj

July 19, 2021

All Saudi citizens will need to be fully Covid-19 vaccinated in order to travel outside the kingdom starting from August 9, 2021, the Ministry of Interior said on Monday.

The move comes as part of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted an official ministry source as saying.

The decision comes “in accordance with the preventive and precautionary measures recommended by the Ministry of Health, and in the context of efforts to control the pandemic, given the emergence of new waves…and new mutants of the virus and the low effectiveness of one dose of the vaccine”.

“Studies and scientific research have proven that receiving two doses of the vaccine is enough to protect against complications of the virus’s mutations, and hence it was decided to require the second dose of the vaccine to travel outside the kingdom for all citizens, starting from 1/1/1443 AH corresponding to August 9, 2021,” the report said.

The only exemptions include children aged under 12 and those who have recovered from Covid-19 less than six months prior to the date of travel.

اشتراط أخذ الجرعة الثانية من اللقاح المضاد لفيروس كورونا المستجد للسفر إلى خارج المملكة لجميع المواطنين ابتداءً من 1 / 1 / 1443هـ الموافق 9 أغسطس 2021م. pic.twitter.com/SPDIHeILaZ

— وزارة الداخلية (@MOISaudiArabia) July 19, 2021

Saudi Arabia is accelerating its vaccination process and has announced new regulations – set to take effect from August 1 – to encourage more people to get inoculated.

The kingdom has said that it will restrict access to certain facilities and services within the country only to those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 from August 1.

Vaccination will be required to enter any government or private entities, educational facilities and economic, commercial, cultural, entertainment, social and sporting activity and events, including malls.

Read: Saudi says vaccination needed to use public transport, enter government and private offices

Vaccination is also mandatory for all the pilgrims taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage this week.

Read: Saudi Arabia’s vaccination rate spikes as deadline approaches