Saudi Arabia new visa rules for expatriates

The officials of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) clarified visa regulations for expatriates, stating that foreign residents holding exit/re-entry visas can re-enter the kingdom as long as their visas are still valid until the last day.

Foreigners Permitted to Enter the Kingdom with Exit/Re-entry Visas Until Expiry Date

The General Directorate of Passports in Saudi Arabia has highlighted that individuals with exit/re-entry visas can electronically extend their visas while abroad by paying the necessary fees through either the Absher platform or the Muqeem portal.

Officials have emphasized that expatriate’s passport should be valid at least 90 days for issuing the exit/re-entry visa and 60 days for the final exit visa.

The directorate has also stated that it is not allowed to convert an exit/re-entry visa into a final exit visa if the individual is currently outside of Saudi Arabia.

It is worth mentioning here that Saudi Arabia is home to a significant migrant worker population from many Asian countries.

Last May, the KSA General Authority for Statistics put the kingdom’s total population at 32.2 million with foreigners making up around 13.4 million or 41.5 per cent, citing a recent census.

According to the census figures, Asian nationals from three countries accounted for over 42 per cent of the total foreigners in Saudi Arabia.