Saudi Arabia bans citizens from traveling to some countries without prior permission

Logo of the Ministry of Interior

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior banned citizens from traveling to some countries without obtaining a prior permission from the competent authorities, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns over new variants.

Saudi nationals were banned from traveling directly or indirectly to Ethiopia, the UAE, and Vietnam without obtaining prior permission from the competent authorities, according to a ministry source.

The Kingdom also decided to suspend entry from the UAE, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Afghanistan, excluding expats who stayed 14 days outside the four countries.

The Kingdom decided to suspend flights from and to the countries on the ban list and quarantine all passengers – citizens and non-citizens - arriving from such countries. 

Citizens who are currently residing in any of those countries and will return to the Kingdom by 11:00 pm on Sunday, July 4, are excluded from this decision.

Flights will be suspended from 11:00 pm Sunday, July 4.