Jeddah: In a significant development, Saudi Arabia has begun to implement e-visa for Indians who are arriving from India.
The new system that eliminated the traditional visa sticker on passports came into force on May 1. Now only the QR code is to be read to extract the visa details. However, visa information is sent to the registered email ID of visa holders and the same can be printed on an A-4 size paper to have a hard copy to prove they have obtained a visa.
The new system is part of Vision 2030 that enables digital governance in a gradual manner. The e-visa initiative came into effect on May 1 in India and other seven countries.
The employment, visit and residence visas for Indians can be processed through an e-visa system where immigration authorities extract the details through a QR scan code.
The new system will reduce the time in processing and bring transparency. More importantly, it will weed out the existing travel agent system that acts as an intermediary to endorse Saudi visas in New Delhi and Mumbai.
However, it is now mandatory for any person who is applying for a Saudi visa to visit VFS Global – visa processing centres – as visa applications would be processed through them only.
There is an influx of visitors from across Telangana into Saudi Arabia, who arrive in Saudi Arabia without having to step out of their homes as their visas are processed by travel agencies. However, now it’s mandatory to physically visit the VFS centre, explained NRI activist and AP NRT coordinator Muzzamil Shaikh.
VFS Global Center operates in Punjagutta.
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