Under vision 2030, KSA is rapidly changing with excellent move towards digitalization. Different services offered by many ministries and offices are changing from classical manual method to innovative digital ways. Another major step in this direction is the experimental start of Saudi Arabia Digital Visa which is a QR code based electronic visa replacing sticker based visa. The service is being started initially for 7 countries with a plan to roll it at mass scale later.
What is Saudi Arabia Digital Visa?
Whenever a person needs to travel to Saudi Arabia or any other country, a visa is required except for the visa-free entry scenarios in some countries. A Visa is a legal permit for a person to enter a country. Saudi Arabia visa issuance is available for people across the globe for different categories. E.g. thousands of people opt for Jobs in Saudi Arabia and they need a work visa stamped on their passport to enter KSA for employment purposes.
Being a religious center, Saudi Arabia also hosts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every year. Muslims from around the world travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah and Haj rituals. For that, they need Umrah Visa or Haj Visa stamped on their passports respectively. Additionally, KSA also offers Saudi Arabia Tourist Visa which is eVisa without any sticker stamping on passport.
Transition from Sticker Based Visa to Digital Visa
Contrary to a classic sticker based visa, Saudi Arabia Digital Visa is an electronic form of visa without any sticker on passport. This digital or electronic Saudi Visa is based on QR code. It is a new initiative by Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). It aims to enhance and modernize consular services offered by embassies and consulates of KSA in different countries. As part of this initiative, different visa types including work, residence and visit visa are planned to be issued electronically in future.
List of Countries for Experimental Start of Digital Visa as a replacement of Passport Sticker Visa
Saudi Arabia Electronic visa also known as Saudi Arabia Digital Visa is in the experimental phase. It is currently being offered only for a list of chosen 7 countries. However, KSA plans to roll it out at larger scale in future for other countries and all visa types.
Below is the list of countries for which Saudi Arabia Digital Visa or electronic visa is being started to replace passport sticker visa:
- UAE (United Arab Emirates)
- Jordan
- Egypt
- Bangladesh
- India
- Indonesia
- Philippines