Saudi Arabia to extend visa validity of expats stranded abroad until August 31

Saudi Arabia confirmed on Tuesday that the validity of residency, exit and re-entry visas of expats stranded abroad as a result of the current travel restrictions will be automatically extended until August 31, 2021.

In addition, the validity of visit visas for visitors who are in the countries from where entry is suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic will also be extended until August 31.

The General Directorate of Passports stated that it had already begun renewing these visas, and that it was doing so without any fees being charged to the visa holders.

The decision to extend the validity of the visas follows a directive issued by Saudi ruler King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

إنفاذًا لتوجيهات #خادم_الحرمين_الشريفين.. تمديد صلاحية الإقامة وتأشيرة الخروج والعودة وتأشيرات الزيارة آلياً دون مقابل في الدول التي يتم تعليق القدوم منها حتى تاريخ 31 / 8 / 2021م. pic.twitter.com/raTo2p0mLz

— الجوازات السعودية (@AljawazatKSA) July 20, 2021

Officials in the country stated that the visa extension falls within precautionary and preventive measures to guarantee the safety of citizens and residents and contribute to mitigating financial and economic impacts as a result of it, reported state-run Saudi Press Agency.

The Directorate indicated that the extension will be carried out electronically in cooperation with the National Information Centre without the need to visit the departments of passports.

Earlier this month, starting July 4, Saudi had decided to suspend direct passenger flights between the kingdom and the UAE, as well as Ethiopia, and Vietnam, as a result of the pandemic.

Saudi nationals are barred from travelling, directly or indirectly to these countries, unless they obtain special permission to do so.

Read: Saudi Arabia indefinitely suspends travel to UAE, Vietnam and Ethiopia

The kingdom’s citizens are also banned from travelling to Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Venezuela, Belarus and India.

Non-Saudi nationals from any country to where Saudi has banned travel can only enter the kingdom if they have stayed 14 days outside of those specific countries.