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Compliance with the new Saudi tourist visa
Saudi Arabia recently opened their borders to the public for tourism - a huge step for the Kingdom. Aligned with King Salman’s Vision 2030 strategy to diversify the Kingdom’s economy away from oil. The introduction of the tourist visa will increase tourism revenue and expectations to boost international and domestic visits to 100 million a year by 2030.
The tourist visa allows individuals to apply for the visa online and some countries are even able to obtain visa on arrival to explore the culture and history Saudi has to offer. However, as always, compliance is necessary when choosing the visa you need for your visit to the Kingdom.
The tourist visa allows individuals to visit the Kingdom for tourism purposes. Other visit visas available are the commercial and the business (work) visit visa. The commercial visit visa allows an individual to visit the Kingdom for professional reasons such as business meetings, negotiations and conferences. The business (work) visit visa, on the other hand, allows an individual to visit the Kingdom and work for a specified period of time; for example, a short term project. This visa does not allow the individual to rent a property, open a bank account or acquire a license.
Each visa has a specific purpose in the Kingdom and it’s important to remain compliant on your visit. As a visitor to the Kingdom, you must do your due diligence to ensure that you’re aware of the restrictions and allowances of your visa; including the activities allowed on your visa, the validity and the duration of stay allowed.