Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced a new process for people to obtain a "personal visit" to enter the Kingdom to see friends, who are citizens.

The new visa allows individuals, who have been invited by the citizens, to travel across the Kingdom, perform Umrah rituals, visit Makkah and Madinah, and other religious and historical sites, and take part in cultural events.

The ministry announced on its official Twitter handle that people can now apply for the visa on the website https://visa.mofa.gov.sa.

Saudis, who wish to invite their friends to visit the country and undertake Umrah, can do so by submitting a request for a personal visit on the visa platform. Afterwards, they can fill out the data for the invitees by logging in through the unified national access platform.

If everything goes well, they will be provided with a "personal visit visa document." The data for the document can be viewed through the "invitation request" query service.

After filling out the entry visa application form, the invited guests can proceed to pay the fees, and complete the process for obtaining medical insurance. They can then submit the application and passport to the Saudi embassy or consulate in their country of residence, or through the centers or offices accredited to the embassy or consulate.

Once the entry visa has been issued, the visitor will receive their passport and can enter the country through air, land, and seaports.

The visitors can find out the status of their visa applications by going onto the website, selecting the inquiry icon, and filling in the required information. Once done, they should click on the inquiry icon to see the status of their application.

According to the ministry's official Twitter handle, the move is intended to increase the number of foreign visits, which fall in line with the objectives of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030.

All visitors intending to travel to Saudi Arabia (excluding residents) must have comprehensive medical insurance that covers the costs of all COVID-19 treatments, including but not limited to outpatient care, emergency services, and hospitalization.

Saudi Arabia
UNSPLASH