Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has restricted the availability of its e-transit visa, also known as the e-stopover visa, to travelers from 18 countries.
According to Gulf News, Saudi Arabia has now limited access to its electronic transit visa to passengers from countries included in the “Group A” list, issued by the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority. Under the updated policy, the visa will only be granted to passengers traveling from or to these countries.
As per official information obtained by Cairo 24, the 18 countries included in the list are Canada, the USA, Austria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Malaysia, Maldives, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, and Mauritius.
A source familiar with the matter explained that the service is strictly available to travelers whose flight itinerary originates from or is connected to one of these countries. The policy aims to streamline the visa process and focus on passengers with clearly defined travel schedules.
Saudi Arabian Airlines has emphasized that passengers must possess a valid visa for at least one of the approved countries and should use it to enter that country first. This condition is meant to ensure compliance with the kingdom’s latest visa regulations.
