Saudi Arabia lifts travel ban on UAE, Argentina and South Africa

Starting 11am on Wednesday, September 8, Saudi Arabia will lift the travel ban it had previously imposed on three countries – UAE, Argentina and South Africa.

An official source in the Ministry of Interior said that entry for passengers from these countries would be allowed through the kingdom’s land, sea and air ports, according to state-run Saudi Press Agency.

Saudi nationals too will be allowed to travel to these three countries. They have however been urged to adhere to all the precautionary and preventive measures when visiting these countries.

Saudi had previously suspended travel to the UAE on July 4, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

إيقاف تعليق القدوم إلى المملكة من الإمارات وجنوب إفريقيا والأرجنتين والسماح بسفر المواطنين إليها. pic.twitter.com/eXT84Q8qzq

— وزارة الداخلية (@MOISaudiArabia) September 7, 2021

Accordingly, Saudi nationals were barred from travelling, directly or indirectly to these countries, unless they obtain special permission to do so. Citizens who travelled to countries on the kingdom’s red list risked being subjected to a three-year travel ban upon their return to the kingdom, and possible legal action and financial penalties.

Late last month, Saudi announced that expats who are fully vaccinated can now return directly to the kingdom, including those travelling from countries which facing a travel ban. However, only expats with valid residency documents who received two doses of the vaccine in Saudi Arabia before they departed for their home country were permitted to return.

Read: Saudi permits fully vaccinated expats to return from countries facing travel ban including UAE, India

The UAE currently has among the world’s highest percentage of fully vaccinated individuals. Its Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) said on Tuesday that the total number of doses provided up to today stands at 18,558,216 with a rate of vaccine distribution of 187.64 doses per 100 people.