Saudi Arabia to lift travel ban on citizens from May 17

Saudi Arabia will lift the ban on its citizens travelling abroad from 1am on Monday, May 17, the Saudi Press Agency said on Sunday, citing an official source at the Ministry of Interior.

Vaccinated citizens who have received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, as well as those who received one dose, provided that 14 days have passed since they received their first dose, will be eligible to travel. They will have to display proof of their vaccination on the Tawakkalna app.

Citizens who have recovered from the infection and have not yet received the vaccine, are also permitted to travel abroad, provided that the duration of recovery from the infection is below six months, with a confirmation of the same on the Tawakkalna app.

Citizens under the age of 18 are also permitted to travel, provided they submit an insurance policy before travel approved by the Saudi Central Bank, covering the risks of Covid-19 treatment while outside the kingdom. This category of individuals will be subjected to home quarantine upon their return to Saudi for 7 days and a PCR test must be undertaken at the end of the home-quarantine period. Citizens below the age of eight are exempt from the PCR test.

The official stressed the need for everyone to adhere to the precautionary and preventive measures, and not to be complacent in applying health requirements, and to take necessary precautions when traveling to high-risk countries.

The source added that all the travel updates are subject to continuous evaluation by the Public Health Authority (Weqaya).

Although the travel ban on citizens flying abroad will be lifted in May, Saudi will continue with its ban on flights from 20 countries when it resumes international travel on May 17.

Read: Saudi to retain ban on 20 countries including UAE, India and UK when international flights resume in May

The 20 countries from where entry will be banned include the UAE, Germany, the US, the UK, South Africa, France, Egypt, Lebanon, India, Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.