Saudi Arabia announces 30-day grace period to extend expired visit visas

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Friday announced a 30-day grace period to allow the extension of expired visit visas, strictly for the purpose of final departure from the Kingdom, regardless of the visa’s type or classification.

According to a report by the Saudi Gazette, the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) has launched a new initiative enabling holders of any expired visit visa to regularize their status for departure. The initiative applies to all visit visa categories and types.

The grace period began on 1 Muharram 1447 AH (June 26, 2025). Visa holders have 30 days from this date to settle any applicable fees and penalties in order to complete their exit procedures from Saudi Arabia.

The process can be carried out through the “Tawasul” service available on the Ministry of Interior’s “Absher” electronic platform.

Jawazat has urged all affected individuals to take advantage of this limited-time opportunity before the deadline expires.

Earlier, the Saudi Ministry of Interior on Saturday announced that 9,639 illegal residents have been arrested by their security forces in a nationwide crackdown led between June 5 and June 11.

The arrests were made during inspection campaigns carried out in collaboration with relevant government agencies to enforce residency, border security, and labour laws.

Among those who were arrested, 5,625 individuals were found accused of violating the Residency Law, while 2,797 broke the Border Security Law. In addition, 1,217 individuals were found violating the Labour Law.

Officials also detained 1,117 individuals trying to cross into Saudi Arabia by illegal means, with 28% recognised as Yemeni nationals and 72% as Ethiopian nationals.