Saudi Arabia Eases Visa Requirements for Tourists from GCC, Other Countries

Saudi Arabia amended its tourist visa policy on Thursday after Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb signed a decree to “make it quicker, easier and more accessible to visit Saudi Arabia,” the Tourism Ministry announced in a press release on Twitter. Residents of Gulf Cooperation Council countries and their close relatives and domestic workers can apply for an e-visa online, while residents of and holders of a tourist or business visa to the US, UK, and EU can receive a visa on arrival in Saudi Arabia, the ministry said. This saves visitors a trip to a Saudi Embassy abroad to procure a tourist visa. The change is one in a series of steps taken over the past few years to diversify the kingdom’s economy and sources of state revenues and reduce its dependence on the petroleum sector.