RIYADH, April 8 – According to reports from Cairo 24, Saudi Arabia has updated its e-transit visa regulations, restricting qualification solely for travelers hailing from an approved roster of 18 nations which includes Malaysia.
The electronic transit visa will henceforth be granted exclusively to travelers heading to or departing from nations included in the "Group A" list as per the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority regulations.
The nations listed apart from Malaysia include: Canada, United States, Austria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, China (which encompasses Hong Kong and Macau), Maldives, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, and Mauritius.
The airline company Saudia also stated that candidates must possess a valid visa for at least one of the mentioned nations and should have utilized it to gain entry into that specific nation before.
As part of the initiative to guarantee adherence to revised travel rules and to streamline the visa procedure for certain visitors, this additional criterion has been introduced.
Dubai-based Gulf News It was reported that the Kingdom has temporarily suspended issuing new short-term visas to citizens of 14 nations prior to the Haj season, with this measure coming into effect on April 13, 2025.
This suspension impacts business visit visas, e-tourist visas, and family visit visas for citizens from the following nations: India, Egypt, Pakistan, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, Nigeria, Algeria, Indonesia, Iraq, Sudan, Bangladesh, and Libya.
Visitors holding valid permits from those nations can still access the Kingdom up till April 13 but are required to depart by April 29.
It has set April 13 as the final day for entries. umrah As it gets ready for the upcoming Haj season, those remaining beyond April 29 will be considered to have violated the law.
The Saudi authorities mentioned logistical challenges and overcrowding experienced during the prior Hajj season, due to pilgrims entering with regular visas instead of Hajj-specific ones, as the rationale behind these new limitations.
