Riyadh: The Directorate General of Passports (Jawazat) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has said that expatriates from India and 16 other countries with which the kingdom had earlier banned flights can benefit from the recent decision to extend the validity of residency permits, exit and re-entry visas and visit visas without any fee.
The extension applies to India, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey, Brazil, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland).
On November 28, Saudi Arabia said it will automatically extend the validity of Iqamas (residency permits) and visas automatically free of cost for ex-patriates till January 31, 2022.
These directives also include extending the visas of the visitors who are outside the Kingdom and who belong to countries facing travel ban due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Indian pilgrims permitted direct entry
The Saudi government also issued the new directives on November 25 to allow Indian travellers to directly enter Saudi Arabia from December 1. The travellers are no longer required to spend 14-day quarantine in a third country.
The new directives will also be applicable to travellers from Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Egypt, and Pakistan.