Saudi Arabia has announced providing an e-visa service for Egyptians.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry launched a new initiative to cancel the visa sticker on the holder’s passport, switching to e-visa.
The new service will be available initially for certain countries including the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Philippines.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry launched the service in January, which allows for issuing a transit visa for tourists coming by air electronically.
It aims to encourage travel to Saudi Arabia for any purposes and facilitate the procedures for obtaining an entry visa.
The transit visa allows individuals to pass through Saudi Arabia and is applicable for short stays of over 12 hours.
It also allows those passing through and wishing to enter the kingdom to perform Umrah and visit the Prophet’s Mosque, in addition to moving around and attending tourism events, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The Ministry stated that tourists can apply for transit visa starting Thursday, through the e-platforms of Saudi Arabian Airlines and flynas.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will then issue the digital visa immediately and send it to the beneficiary via e-mail.
The Foreign Ministry said that the digital transit visa service will contribute to achieving the goals of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 by strengthening the Saudi position, benefiting from its distinguished strategic location as a hub linking continents, an attraction station for transients, and a global tourist destination.
The transit visa will be issued free of charge and immediately using the travel ticket. It is valid up to three months, and allows residence in Saudi Arabia for up to four days.
Egyptian billionaire Samih Sawiris, founder of Orascom Development Egypt, has started negotiations with Saudi parties to invest in the Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector.
Sawiris told Bloomberg, on the sidelines of a Tuesday conference held in 6th of October city, that the rapid moves taken by Saudi Arabia, especially in the tourism sector, have caused a major shift that encouraged him to invest there.
