Dubai: Saudi Arabia is expected to allow GCC residents to visit the country without any visa for business, tourism and umrah purposes.
A report in business news portal Trends suggests that Saudi Arabia will soon launch a visa-free travel system for all GCC locals with a valid resident and work visa issued by the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qataris immigration officials.
Sources from the Kingdom’s Ministry of Tourism informed the magazine about the draft law which is ready for the new scheme and will be officially declared in a few days.
Under this new visa scheme, expats will be allowed to enter Saudi Arabia on terms of valid residency and work visas for business, tourism and umrah purposes, with exception of Haj.
However, reports also suggest that there might be some exceptions for certain visa categories, such as maid’s visa or construction worker’s visa. Professionals, white-collar workers, and other residents with regular income will be likely to be allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia visa-free.
Last week, the Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb publicised during a TV interview said that Saudi Arabia will soon launch a new visa scheme for GCC residents.
He also mentioned that tourist visas published by the Kingdom in 2019 still exist and there were no specific rules for those coming for tourism.
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