Saudi Arabia to reopen for tourists vaccinated with approved jabs from today

Saudi Arabia will on Sunday reopen its borders for fully vaccinated foreign tourists after a 17-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. “The Ministry of Tourism announced that the Kingdom will open its doors to foreign tourists, and lift… the suspension of entry for tourist visa holders, starting from August 1,” the Saudi Press Agency reported, according to AFP.

Travellers who are fully vaccinated with Saudi-approved jabs–Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson, will be allowed to enter the country “without the need for an institutional quarantine period”, Saudi Arabia’s tourism ministry said. Those wishing to obtain a tourist visa can apply through the Spirit of Saudi website–visitsaudi.com.

The travellers will not be required to undertake the mandatory quarantine period if they show an official vaccination certificate upon arrival, along with the proof of PCR test with a negative result within 72 hours from the time of departure.

“Visitors to the Kingdom are also required to register their data related to vaccination doses via the new electronic portal dedicated to this, “muqeem.sa/#/vaccine-registration/home”, in addition to registering their data via “Tawakkalna” application, which is mandatory to enter public places,” the state media added.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has also announced a three-year travel ban on its citizens if they visit any Covid-19 red list countries including India. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Ethiopia, Somalia, Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Belarus and Vietnam are the other red-listed countries.

Saudi Arabia has registered more than 523,000 Covid-19 cases, with 8,213 deaths so far.