Saudi Arabia: Vaccinated tourists can now enter without having to quarantine

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism has confirmed that starting August 1, 2021, the kingdom has lifted the suspension on the entry of tourist visa holders.

Fully vaccinated tourists can enter the kingdom without having to undergo institutional quarantine, provided that they furnish an official vaccination certificate upon arrival. They also need to present proof of a negative PCR test result that is not older than 72 hours from the time of their departure.

Visitors are required to register their vaccination data via a new electronic portal muqeem.sa, in addition to entering their data on the Tawakkalna app too.

Starting from August 1, only fully vaccinated people are permitted to places, activities, events, government and private facilities, or use public transportation across the kingdom, with proof of vaccination checked via the Tawakkalna app.

Read: Saudi Arabia levies Covid-19 vaccine mandate

Welcome back to Saudi. We’re looking forward to seeing you!

Apply for your e-visa at https://t.co/PXz9FLYnfm

For any questions, contact us at: +966920000890#VisitSaudi pic.twitter.com/H9HGyMJQWX

— Visit Saudi (@VisitSaudiNow) July 30, 2021

Currently, Saudi recognizes fully-vaccinated individuals as those who have received two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca or Moderna, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Those wishing to obtain a tourist visa can apply through the “Spirit of Saudi” website, according to Saudi Press Agency.

“We welcome tourists again, and we are very happy to receive the Kingdom’s guests again after a pause due to the repercussions of the Coronavirus pandemic,” said Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al Khateeb.

“We focused our efforts during the pause on close cooperation with our partners in all sectors to ensure a safe return through which visitors to the Kingdom can enjoy exploring its tourist treasures, important destinations and landmarks, enjoy unique tourist experiences and learn about the culture of generosity and hospitality characterizing Saudi society.”

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had launched the tourist visa in September 2019, and as many as 400,000 visas were issued within six months, before the suspension of travel and the closure of ports and borders resulting from the pandemic.

Although Saudi has reopened for foreign tourists, there are still countries that remain on its travel ban list from where entry is prohibited. Officials said recently that Saudi nationals who travel to these red list countries risk being subjected to a three-year travel ban upon their return to the kingdom.