Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior has issued directives to allow direct entry of fully vaccinated expatriates from countries facing travel ban, an official source at the ministry has announced.

 

The diplomatic missions of the concerned countries have confirmed the receipt of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) directive in this regard.

 

The new decision will be applicable only to those foreigners who have a valid residency permit (iqama) and left the Kingdom on exit and re-entry visa after taking two doses of vaccine against coronavirus from Saudi Arabia, Saudi Gazette reported.

 

Currently, countries facing the travel ban are India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, UAE, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Lebanon.

 

The source said that the authorities had earlier allowed direct entry to Saudi citizens, as well as to foreign diplomats, health practitioners and their families from the countries facing travel ban.

 

All other segments required to spend 14-day quarantine in a third country before their entry into the Kingdom.

 

Indian Ambassador Dr. Ausaf Sayeed said that the embassy had received a circular from the Agency for Foreign Missions at MOFA in which it says that the competent authority had issued approval for lifting the suspension of direct entry to the Kingdom for residents from the countries on the travel ban list.

 

Dr. Sayeed added: “We will continue our efforts for the direct entry of the most majority of expatriates who have already received two doses of vaccine from India or those who took first dose of vaccine from Saudi Arabia and the second dose from India.”

 

The 2.6 million Indians make up nearly one-third of the expatriate population in the Kingdom.

 

The Embassy of Pakistan in Riyadh too thanked the Saudi leadership for the decision that will benefit thousands of Pakistani expatriates.

 

Indonesian Consul General Eko Hartono also welcomed the Saudi decision and said: "Though this decision will benefit only a small segment of Indonesians, we are waiting for the big news of direct entry for all the Indonesians who received two doses of vaccine from the home country.”