JEDDAH, 3 August 2003 — The British Consulate processed a record number of 3,500 visas per month in June and July.
There has been a 15 percent increase in the issuance of visas this year over last year, John Neil, the consul in charge of the visa section at the British Consulate said, adding that the embassy in Riyadh had issued a similar number of visas in the two months. “This has been possible due to the consulate’s straightforward visa procedure and its investment in new computer and satellite communication systems as well as extra staff to process the growing number of applications,” Neil told Arab News yesterday.
“We’ve been issuing multiple entry visas for varied periods to all residents of the Kingdom, whether Saudi or expat,” he said, adding that the consulate did away with issuing single entry visas about a year ago.
“We’ve done this to encourage more visitors to Britain. We welcome them and wish to show off our tourist attractions as well as our rich culture and heritage,” he said.
“In fact, the growing number of visa seekers is indicative of the popularity of British destinations that are fully geared to tourism,” he added. “We’ve no quotas for issuing visas, whether in terms of nationality or community. Anyone meeting our requirements is given a visa. We’ve issued visas to 98 percent of the applicants who have met all of our requirements. We’ve not granted visas to a few who have not satisfied us with the required documents,” he said, adding that visa applications are processed the same day they are submitted.
The consulate issues visas for periods ranging from six months to a year, three years or five years. The longer visa periods are given to business travelers. “Our visa applications and requirements can be downloaded from our dedicated website. Aside from evidence of employment or business, we ask for a six-month bank statement to justify that the applicant has adequate funds to meet his expenses during the visit.”
According to visa seekers, the British system is far better than the system followed by certain other Western diplomatic missions. “The United States Consulate takes six weeks to two months to issue a visa, while Schengen countries take at least two weeks to grant a visa,” Khalid Al-Fahl, an automobile marketing executive, said.
“I visited the French consulate for a visa, but was discouraged by the long queues of visa seekers and also the time needed to process a visa,” he said.
Visa regulations for visiting Switzerland have been simplified. Saudi nationals no longer need a Swiss visa provided they possess a multiple Schengen visa as well. The Schengen countries include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. In many cases, visas are processed at the Swiss Consulate the same day.
