Dubai: Saudi Arabia has narrowed eligibility for its electronic transit visa, commonly referred to as the e-stopover visa, to travelers from a specific list of countries, according to official information obtained by Cairo 24.
Under the updated policy, the visa will be issued only to passengers travelling from or to countries included in what the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority refers to as “Group A.”
The following is the list of 18 countries: Canada, United States, Austria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Malaysia, Maldives, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, and Mauritius.
A source familiar with the matter told Cairo 24 that the service is strictly limited to travellers whose flight itineraries either originate from or are bound for one of these countries.
The policy is designed to streamline the visa process and focus on passengers with clearly defined travel patterns.
Saudi Arabian Airlines also emphasised that travellers must possess a valid visa for at least one of the approved countries and must have previously used it to enter that country.
The condition aims to ensure credibility and compliance with the Kingdom’s updated visa regulations.
