By Innovation-sa on September 26, 2019 in News
As part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to standardize, simplify and streamline the immigration system of employers, the country’s visa system is undergoing a major transformation. The Council of Ministers has approved the unification of visit visa application fees at SR 300 per person and has issued a decision standardizing the validity periods of both commercial and work visit visas.
Under the new system, expatriates are now eligible only for either three-month single-entry or twelve-month multiple entry visas. Under a single-entry visa for three and six months, the maximum allowable duration of stay is 30 days and for visas with other validity, the duration of stay allowed is 90 days. However, expatriates who currently hold a visit visa with a longer validity can continue to use it.
Moreover, individuals from countries that hold bilateral visa agreements with Saudi Arabia, including France, the United Kingdom and the United States, can continue to apply for visit visas of longer duration based on their nationality.
Formerly, visit visa application fee varied on the basis of visa category and nationality of the applicant. However, with the new standardized government fee of SR 300, which in most cases is lower than what is charged by the visa-issuing authority, visit visa holders are expected to have an added advantage.
Expatriates who have already submitted visa applications with invitation letters that request for a visa validity period that is conflicting with the new visa regulations will need to update their application with a new visa invitation letter from their sponsor to ensure that their visa application does not get rejected.