GCC Unified Tourist Visa

During a meeting held by the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Interior Ministers, Sayyed Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidi, leading the current session of GCC, shared news about a plan that will allow visitors to travel more freely among Gulf countries (GCC) with just a single tourist visa.

All the Gulf countries have joined the hands to create a single tourist visa that works across all the six countries.

This new visa is set to kick off around the year 2024-25. The idea is to make traveling between these countries smoother and more up-to-date. Busaidi highlighted that this move will improve collaboration among the Gulf nations. With this single visa, it’ll be easier for residents and visitors to get around these countries, and it’s expected to give a boost to their economies and tourism.

Visitors’ visas can be renewed online up to one week before they expire.

Note: You can only get your visit visa extended once. An extension of your stay is required; you will need to apply for a new visa.

For people who are visiting Saudi Arabia, this new service is excellent. The business will benefit from more tourists and longer stays because it will be easy for people to get longer visas.

#الجوازات_السعودية تدعو الزائرين للالتزام بضوابط التأشيرة المفردة والمتعددة.https://t.co/75OqmqYIOh pic.twitter.com/ikVLFyclpI

— الجوازات السعودية (@AljawazatKSA) October 23, 2023

According to the Saudi Ministry of Interior, visit visas can be renewed online up to one week before they expire. There are only a few easy steps needed to extend your lease.

Please go to your Absher account and click on “Visa Services” to extend your visit visa online. Finally, pick the “Visit Visa Extension” service and fill out the necessary details. The fee to renew your visa is 100 Saudi riyals.

Following your submission, the Ministry of Interior will examine it. If your application is accepted, you will be notified by email. The new visa can then be downloaded from the Absher site.

Follow these steps to extend your visit visa online:

• Visit the Absher portal.
• Log in with your Absher account details.
• Click on the “Passport Services” tab.
• Select the “Visit Visa Extension” service.
• Enter the required information and attachments.
• Pay the visa extension fee.
• Submit your application.

Following your submission, the Ministry of Interior will examine it. The approval of your application will be confirmed by email, and your visa will be renewed.

Remember these important things when you extend your visit visa online:

• Your visit visa can only be extended once.
• At least one week before your visa ends, you need to apply for an extension.
• For a visit visa renewal, you must meet all the criteria.
• Visa extension fees must be paid.
• Contact the Saudi Ministry of Interior if you have any questions about how to get your visit visa extended.

Allowing tourists to Saudi Arabia to extend their Visit Visa online is a good change. Additionally, it streamlines and eases the process, and it gives tourists more options to remain in the country longer.

The visa lets companies give out short work visas. According to the Qiwa site, the visa user can work for three months from the date of entry.

A similar amount of time can also be added to the visa. Foreigners who want this visa do not need to get a pass to live or work in the country.

The visa application must be sent by the company or a Qiwa agent who has been given permission to do so.

Saudi Arabia starts giving out free four-day visas
For the temporary work visa service, the organisation must be operating and have a legal business registration, unless it is doing something that doesn’t need a business registration.

Also, businesses with the same unified number must have a valid work pass and enough money in the Absher account linked to the business’s national unified number.

Qiwa gives out the temporary work visa right away and doesn’t ask for any papers.

The visa is on a computer and is good for one year.

Here are the steps a person must take to apply online for a temporary work visa.

• Sign in to the account for the business on the Qiwa website.
• Choose the service for an interim work visa from the list of e-services.
• Then, fill out all of the fields that are needed and send in the request.
• A request for a temporary visa can be turned down because there isn’t enough money in the enterprise’s combined number on Absher or because the Ministry of the Interior says no.

The temporary work visa balance deal can be cancelled, and the government fees can be returned.

The site said that the request to cancel must come from the business owner or a commissioner.

Umrah Visa Status Check 2023

It is important for individuals to be able to check their Umrah visa on MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in order to prepare for their upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia. As a result, we have put together a comprehensive guide to help you easily check your visa status on MOFA.

Step 1: Visit the MOFA website

The first step in checking your Umrah visa details on MOFA is to visit their website. You can do this by typing in “MOFA Umrah visa status check” in your preferred search engine and clicking on the first link that appears.

Step 2: Choose your preferred language

Once you have accessed the MOFA website (https://visa.mofa.gov.sa/VISASERVICES/SEARCHVISA), you will need to select your preferred language. You can do this by clicking on the language icon located in the top right corner of the website.

Step 3: Enter your details

After selecting your preferred language, you will need to enter your details in order to check your Umrah visa details. These details include your passport number and your application reference number.

Step 4: Check your Umrah visa status

Select the Device Type as “Barcode Reader“. After entering your details such as Visa number, passport number, Nationality and finally the Captcha code, you will be able to check your Umrah visa status on MOFA. If your visa has been approved, you will be able to print your visa and make preparations for your trip to Saudi Arabia.

It is important to note that the process of checking your Umrah visa details on MOFA can take some time, so it is recommended that you do this well in advance of your trip to Saudi Arabia.

Visitors from all over the world come to Saudi Arabia for commerce, employment, and tourism. Everyone wishing to enter Saudi Arabia must first get the appropriate visa. Making the appropriate choice from the available visas might be challenging. This article will go through the many Saudi Arabian visa categories and who is eligible to apply for each one.

Saudi Arabia is a well-liked location for travel, employment, and business. Many significant religious sites, like as Makkah and Madina, are located throughout the nation and draw millions of tourists yearly. The nation’s oil-rich economy has also made it a desirable location for business travellers from throughout the world. Everyone wishing to enter Saudi Arabia must first get the appropriate visa. Making the appropriate choice from the available visas might be challenging. This article will go through the many Saudi Arabian visa categories and who is eligible to apply for each one.

Types of Visa in Saudi Arabia

Working Visa

Saudi Arabia working Visit visa will allow you to work in Saudi Arabia for upto 180 days. For you to get this VISA will require a working visit visa invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). This is normal for occupations such as airline pilots and oil industry workers.

Inorder to get a work visa, you will need a letter of offer from your employer in Saudi Arabia.

Business Visa

Saudi Arabia Business visa will allow you to make short period visits for business purpose such as Training, meetings and discussion.

You are able to obtain either a 3 month single entry Saudi visa or a 6 month multiple entry Saudi
visa. You are entitled to up to a maximum of a 30 day stay during each visit.

The Saudi visa government will dictate whether a single or multi entry visa for Saudi is issued.

Hajj Visa

Those who are going to Saudi Arabia to do the Hajj pilgrimage are given a Hajj visa. One of Islam’s five pillars, the Hajj, is something that every able-bodied Muslim must do at least once in their lives.

You must present evidence of your Muslim beliefs, such as a conversion certificate or a letter from your neighbourhood mosque, in order to be granted a Hajj visa. Also, you must have a passport with at least two blank pages that is valid for at least six months.

Visit Visa

A visit visa is provided to persons who are visiting family or friends in Saudi Arabia for personal reasons. A letter of invitation from a Saudi citizen or resident is required to get a visit visa.

You’ll also need to bring a passport that’s at least six months old and has at least two blank pages. Visit visas are typically valid for 90 days and may be renewed for another 90.

Transit Visa

Those travelling through Saudi Arabia on their route to another nation are granted a transit visa. You must present evidence of your onward journey, such as a plane ticket, in order to get a transit visa. Also, you must have a passport with at least two blank pages that is valid for at least six months. The typical duration of a transit visa is 72 hours, and it cannot be extended.

Transit passengers who want to go to Saudi Arabia can get a transit visa, which lets them do Umrah and visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, as well as travel inside the kingdom and go to tourism events. The ministry confirms that the digital transit visa service will help reach the goals of Vision 2030 by strengthening Saudi Arabia’s position and taking advantage of its strategic location connecting different continents, its attractiveness as a station for transit passengers, and its popularity as a tourist destination around the world.

With a free Saudi visa, travellers can stay in the country for up to four days. Also, the visas will be given out electronically by the national airlines and will be good for three months.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced the new Saudi transit visa on January 30, and it went into effect right away.

To apply for the free Saudi transit visa, visitors will need to visit the electronic platforms for SAUDIA airlines and Flynas.

The application will be sent directly to the unified national visa platform at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where the request will be processed and issued and sent via email to the applier and will last for a duration of four days. Like we said, the visa can be extended for up to three months and it’s free.

Official Tweet from Saudi Ministry of Foregins Affairs:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs launches an electronic service for issuing transit visas for visitors arriving by air. #SaudiTransitVisa pic.twitter.com/SX1vO5j7DL

— Foreign Ministry (@KSAmofaEN) January 30, 2023

Official Tweet from AljawazatKSA:

The electronic transit visit visa for passengers on stopovers#visit_visa_on_stopovers pic.twitter.com/AV7T5St37u

— الجوازات السعودية (@AljawazatKSA) January 31, 2023

Advantages of Transit Visit Visa:

• Issued Free of Charge and instantly witht ravle tickets
• Entitles the holder to a four-day stay in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Three months validity
• Visitor can move to different provinces in the Kingomd and attend events
• Visitor can perform Umrah during his stay in Saudi Arabia by booking an appointment with Nusuk App

How to Get this Visa:

Book your travel then apply for this visa through the electronic platforms of Saudi Airlines and Flynas
A digital visa will be issued and sent back to the beneficiary via e-mail by the unified National Visa Platform at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)

What cannot be done using this VISA:

• Visitor cannot perform Hajj
• The Visa holdermust leave the kingdom (Saudi Arabia) before the visa gets expired

With Personbal Visit Visa, In addition to being able to travel throughout the regions and cities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, visa holders will also be able to perform Umrah, visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, as well as visit other religious and historical sites, and take part in cultural events.

According to the ministry, anyone can apply for the visa using a series of simple and hassle-free computerised processes that can be found on the website for the visa platform:https://visa.mofa.gov.sa.

By submitting a request for a personal visit on the ministry’s eVisa platform and applying for a “visit request,” by logging in through the unified national access platform and filling out the data for the invitees, Saudi citizens are able to invite their friends and acquaintances to visit Saudi Arabia and perform Umrah. Umrah is one of the five pillars of Islam, which requires believers to visit Mecca and perform certain rites.

After the request has been received, it will be processed, and a “personal visit visa document” will be produced. The data included within this document can be seen by using the invitation request enquiry service.

Personal Visit Visa

Requirements:

• Original passport valid for no less than six (6) months, with at least two (2) successive empty visa pages.
• To fill your online application and make a visa payment, please log on to https://enjazit.com.sa/. (Guideline for Enjaz) Health insurance must be purchased from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Options for local health insurance providers will appear upon processing your Enjaz form.
• A visa referral note: indicating number and date of visa, issued by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs or either of its branches in Jeddah or Dammam.
• Minors (under 18 years) travelling alone, or with one parent, must submit a notarized letter in Arabic or English signed by a parent or a legal guardian.
• For non-U.S. citizens, copy of green card or document confirming legal residence in the U.S.

The United States (US) mission to Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday an increase in duration of visitors (B1/B2) visas (Visit Visa) to Saudi citizens between five and 10 years starting August. 1, 2022.
In close collaboration and with Saudi government An agreement has been made to prolong the validity of tourist visas on a reciprocal basis in order to enhance business and tourism between our countries.

The facilitation of legitimate travel is a significant contribution to both our economies, and builds and strengthens the bonds between our businesses and people and improves trust among US as well as Saudi citizens.

The increase in validity of visas builds on previous efforts to ease business and tourism travel. This is in addition to the Interview Waiver Program that was announced earlier in the year.

In the Interview Waiver Program, Saudi citizens who are over 50 years old age, who renew visitors’ visas that are expiring for less than 48 month, can be eligible to waive in-person interviews.

The General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) sources clarified this while speaking to media, amid social media reports about the possibility of converting visit visa into a permanent residency with payment of fee.

All the rumours claimed by some social networking site accounts which claimed that it is possible to convert a visit visa into Iqama after paying a fee are False and not true.

Visit Visa cannot get converted to Iqama

“The instructions issued by the competent authorities in Saudi Arabia do not allow converting a visit visa into an iqama. If a new decision or instructions are issued regarding visit visas, it will be announced immediately through the official channels,” the sources said.

Sources from Jawazat also indicated that visitors to the Kingdom with a visa for visit are not permitted to work and that punitive actions will be taken against those who violate the regulations.

Saif Al-Hakami, an attorney, warned that fraudsters are using social media platforms to cheat and make illegal money through false claims that are inconsistent with the laws and regulations in place.

In April 2013, the Law for Combating Financial Fraud and Deceit was approved by the Council of Ministers. The law provides that fraudsters convicted of financial fraud will be sentenced to a maximum seven-year term or a fine not exceeding SR 5 million or both.

Al-Hakami said that the law has provisions to punish anyone who encourages another person to commit the same crimes, agrees with him or helps him.

The maximum penalties for the crime committed based on incitement, agreement, or assistance will also be imposed. He also stated that if the original crime does not occur, the instigator will receive half the maximum punishment.

Capt. Abdul Rahman Al-Qathami said the sanctions will be imposed on companies like the Hajj and Umrah businesses since they are responsible to return pilgrims to their homes before their visas run out.

In a live broadcast titled “First Bulletin” on the Al-Ekhbariya channel Al-Qathami stated that those who are the Hajj as well as Umrah service providers are responsible for an enormous responsibility in maintaining the regulations for visas in light of the return of pilgrims’ travel in massive numbers following the dismantling of many coronavirus preventive measures and measures.

He claimed that representatives from several Hajj and Umrah firms were called in the past to look into allegations of violations committed against them.

Up to 208 businesses were found guilty of violating the law as well as penalties imposed against all of them He said, noting that the fines for violations will start at the amount of SR25,000 per pilgrim.

Visit visa for Umrah

In a similar development, the Doyof al-Rahman Program has revealed that there are a variety of electronic visas that are suitable for the purposes of Umrah and tourists are able to avail these. The program also revealed the names of the countries that could benefit from this program.

There are several types of visas available, including the visa to visit to be used for Umrah or the Umrah visa issued by foreign agents, as well as the transit visa.

The countries that would get a visitor’s visa to be used for Umrah are those from the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, China, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Brunei, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary and Hungary, the Netherlands as well as Greece.

The list comprises Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Australia and New Zealand.

Doyof Al-Rahman Program is one of the numerous initiatives that have been created under the auspices of Saudi Vision 2030. The aim of the program is to enhance the quality and experience for Hajj and Umrah and also the services that are provided by Doyof Al-Rahman (the guests of God).