Saudi Arabia Introduces E-visa for Eight New Countries

Saudi Arabia has introduced visit visas for visitors from eight new countries including Azerbaijan, Albania, Uzbekistan, South Africa, Georgia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and the Maldives, according to the country's tourism ministry.

Nationals of these countries can apply for a tourist visa to the Kingdom either electronically or at KSA international ports of entry.

This step is in line with the Kingdom's tourism sector strategy to boost the sector's contribution to GDP from 3% to more than 10%, creating one million new job opportunities with a preference for Saudi citizens, and attracting 100 million tourists by 2030.

Individuals with a tourist visa can visit different parts of the Kingdom and perform Umrah.

The Ministry noted that the tourist visa does not allow the performance of Hajj or Umrah during the Hajj season.