Dubai: Gulf Cooperation Council residents are soon expected to be able to visit Saudi Arabia visa-free for business, tourism, and umrah purposes.
According to the business news portal Trends reports, Saudi Arabia will soon launch a visa-free travel system for all GCC residents with valid resident and work visas issued by the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qataris immigration authorities.
The sources from the Kingdom’s Ministry of Tourism told the magazine the draft law for the new scheme is ready and will be officially declared within days.
In the new visa scheme, immigrants with valid residency and work visas will be allowed entry into Saudi Arabia for business, tourism, and umrah purposes, except for Hajj.
According to the report, there might be some special cases for specific visa categories, such as a maid’s visa or a construction worker’s visa. Professionals, white-collar workers, and residents with regular income will likely be allowed visa-free travel to Saudi Arabia.
Even, Last week, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb declared during a TV interview that Saudi Arabia would soon introduce a new visa scheme for GCC residents.
Al-Khateeb highlighted that the tourist visas launched by the Kingdom in 2019 still exist, and there were no specific restrictions for those coming for tourism.