Saudi Arabia has previously stopped using visa stamps – indiansupdate.com

Saudi Arabia has taken a significant step in visa regulations by introducing a major reform that will impact visitors from 12 countries. The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia is pushing this significant reform in the passport granting procedure for visitors from Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon, and other countries.

Travellers travelling in Saudi Arabia would never again need to receive a visitor’s visa stamp on their travel documents with the current system. Instead, a printed e-visa with a QR code will replace the traditional visa stickers. The code in the QR code will include all necessary information about the passengers, thereby acting as an electronic visa.

The transition to e-visas will cover various visa types, including labor, visit, or residency visas. The initiative is a component of a larger effort to digitise and improve the productivity of the ministry’s foreign offerings, which include employment permits, residency permits, and visit visas. The implementation of the new e-visa system will occur in multiple phases for the 12 designated countries. Here is the schedule for phasing out visa stickers in visitor passports:

Pakistan: July 24

Yemen: July 26

Sudan: August 2

Uganda: August 7

Lebanon: August 9

Nepal: August 14

Turkey: August 16

Sri Lanka: August 21

Kenya: August 23

Morocco: August 28

Thailand: August 30

Vietnam: September 4

Saudi Arabia has previously stopped using visa stamps for tourists from the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines a few months ago. This visa modernisation programme aims to streamline visa processing, facilitate journey, and embrace the technological evolution of Saudi consular services. Travelers from the listed 12 countries can now expect a smoother visa experience with the introduction of the new e-visa system.