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Saudi Arabia has made it easier for tourists to visit or fly through the country with a new transit visa. On Tuesday, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a 96-hour visa will be issued electronically free of cost and immediately for anyone flying via Saudia and Flynas airlines. The Stopover Visa allows them to enter the Kingdom for four days and remains valid for three months.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, applications from the Saudia and Flynas airlines’ websites will automatically be passed to the Unified National Visa Platform at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for processing, and the digital visa will be issued and sent to the beneficiary via e-mail immediately after. While the Stopover Visa will particularly benefit passengers in transit who wish to enter the Kingdom to perform Umrah and visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, the ministry confirms that it will also contribute to achieving the objectives of Saudi’s Vision 2030.
Read on for a step-by-step guide on applying for the free 96-hour transit visa.
1. Visit Saudia.com, and begin selecting your preferred flight as you normally would.
2. After confirming your selection, you will receive the details of your route which includes the ‘Visit Saudi Arabia’ option. Here, choose between ‘Visit Saudi’ or ‘Perform Umrah’. Saudia states that a free night stay will be offered along with your ticket. Now, select your preferred stopover point from one of Saudi Arabia’s six international airports, and the number of days you are staying, with the maximum being four.
4. Next, select from the new set of flights that are available based on your transit details.
5. Fill in the remaining entries including full name, passport details, and contact number, and proceed to select seats.
6. On the next page, click on ‘Get e-visa’.
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