Saudi Arabia begins renewing residence, exit, visit visas validities for free

King Salman bin Abdulaziz

The General Directorate of Passports has started to automatically extend the validity of residence permits (Iqama) and exit and re-entry visas without fees or charges until Jan. 31, 2022.

The move is in line with the directives issued by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

This extension, which was issued by the Minister of Finance, falls within the government's continuing efforts to deal with the repercussions of COVID-19 pandemic. It also falls within precautionary and preventive measures that guarantee the safety of citizens and residents and contribute to mitigating financial and economic impacts.

The directorate indicated that the extension will be carried out automatically in cooperation with the National Information Centre, without the need to visit the passport departments.

The extension process is as follows:

First: Extending the validity of residence permits, exit and re-entry visas for residents in the countries from which entry is suspended as a result of the COVID-19 until Jan. 31, 2022, except for those who were fully vaccinated inside Saudi Arabia before they left.

Second: Extending the validity of visit visas by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for visitors outside Saudi Arabia and from countries facing entry suspension due to the outbreak of coronavirus until Jan. 31, 2022.