Saudi Arabia approves unified national visa platform

JEDDAH: The Saudi Arabia Cabinet approved the establishment of a unified national visa platform at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, making it the Kingdom’s official national platform for visa services.

The Cabinet also approved agreements between Saudi Arabia and the governments of Hungary, Kazakhstan and Poland on mutual exemption from visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, service and special passports.

Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman chaired the Cabinet session held in Jeddah on Tuesday.

During the session, the Cabinet reviewed the state’s activities over the past several days, particularly efforts to strengthen relations with brotherly and friendly countries, intensify joint coordination, support international peace and security, address global challenges, and create wider opportunities for development and prosperity.

Minister of Media Salman Al-Dosari said the Cabinet praised the active participation of the Saudi delegation in the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Week, including the Kingdom’s reaffirmation of its commitment to close cooperation with international organizations and relevant bodies to combat terrorism, eradicate its roots, dry up its sources of financing and support efforts to counter terrorist threats.

The Cabinet welcomed the unanimous adoption by the UN Human Rights Council at its 62nd session of a Saudi-led resolution on empowering women in cybersecurity. The resolution builds on the global initiative launched by the Crown Prince and seeks to advance its objectives internationally through practical measures.

The Cabinet said Saudi Arabia’s first-place global ranking in the 2026 ICT Development Index issued by the International Telecommunication Union reflects the continued development of the Kingdom’s digital infrastructure and regulatory environment, as well as its growing leadership in technology and artificial intelligence.

It noted that the achievement comes amid rapid growth in Saudi Arabia’s digital economy, which has consolidated its position as the largest market in the Middle East and North Africa.

The Cabinet also said Saudi Arabia’s election as president of the Executive Council of the Arab Civil Aviation Organization for a second consecutive term reflects the Kingdom’s leading role in supporting the aviation sector regionally and internationally, as well as its contributions to developing the air transport industry.

The Cabinet appreciated the World Bank’s praise for Saudi Arabia’s artificial intelligence regulatory sandbox in education, describing it as a leading model and international reference for developing higher-quality and more sustainable digital education, employing modern technologies, and enabling education entities and innovators to create practical solutions.

On domestic affairs, the Cabinet reviewed performance indicators across several strategic and vital sectors.

It commended the nonprofit sector’s continued progress toward its development targets, noting growth in the contribution of nonprofit organizations to GDP, an increase in the number of nonprofit organizations to more than 7,200 by the end of 2025, and the number of volunteers reaching 1.7 million.

The Cabinet also authorized the chairman of the Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission, or his deputy, to discuss and sign a draft memorandum of understanding with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on exchanging information in the fields of nuclear and radiological regulation.