A bird's eye view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. ARCHIVE

Saudi Arabia is making it easier for travelers to visit through an expansion of its e-visa program with an instant tourist e-visa for qualified travelers. The new instant tourist e-visa option is available to UK, US, and Schengen visas holders, as well as permanent residents of UK, US, and any EU country to get tourist e-visas to Saudi Arabia. To get tourist e-visas to Saudi Arabia, travelers can go to www.mofa.gov.sa. Saudi Arabia has previously extended regulation to provide visas on arrival to the six categories. Saudi Arabia previously extended regulation to provide visas on arrival to holders of valid US, UK, and Schengen visas as well as permanent residents of UK, US, and any EU country and e-visa eligibility was extended to GCC residents. This is part of a range of initiatives to provide a seamless traveler experience, including the recently announced Stopover visa that is free for passengers traveling on Saudia and Flynas and allows visitors to stay in Saudi Arabia for up to 96 hours. Since opening to tourism in 2019, Saudi has become one of the fastest-growing tourism markets globally, recording 93.5 million visits in 2022. Saudi Tourism Authority is accelerating efforts to make it easier for visitors from across the world to travel to Saudi Arabia. In 2022, Saudi Tourism Authority launched the Nusuk platform in collaboration with the Pilgrim Experience Program. Nusuk, Saudi’s first ever official integrated digital platform, provides pilgrims and visitors an easy-to-use planning gateway for their journeys to Makkah, Madinah, and beyond. ICA/Expat Media
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