Saudi Arabia has expanded its e-visa scheme to include UK, US, and Schengen visa holders, as well as permanent residents of UK, US, and any European Union country.
The kingdom had previously extended regulation to provide visas on arrival to the six categories, as part of Saudi’s tourism drive to reach 100 million visits annually by 2030.
The e-visa is a one-year, multiple-entry visa, allowing tourists to spend up to 90 days in the country.
The tourist visa allows visitors to take part in tourism-related activities such as events, family visits, leisure and Umrah (excluding Hajj) but excludes other activities such as studying.
The country opened its doors to tourism in 2019 and reported 93.5 million visits in 2022.
Other initiatives aimed at boosting tourism include the Nusuk platform, launched in 2022 by the Saudi Tourism Authority with the Pilgrim Experience Programme.
It provides pilgrims and visitors with a planning gateway for their journeys to Makkah (Mecca), Madinah and beyond.
Earlier this year, Saudi announced the launch of a new Stopover Visa, allowing visitors to stay in the country for up to 96 hours.
This free visa is available to passengers travelling on Saudia and flynas, and is open to more countries than the historic tourism e-visa.
More details are available from visitsaudi.com/en/travel-regulations.
Pictured: Riyadh by Shutterstock