JEDDAH, 21 September 2005 — Saudi Arabia has eased business visa regulations as part of its efforts to attract foreign investment and win accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The new law allows owners, board chairmen and directors general of foreign companies, as well as investors, to get visas without an invitation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed its missions abroad that they must issue all visas, especially trade visas, within 24 hours.
Arab News has received a copy of the new instructions, which say that the ministry has abrogated all previous rules related to issuing visas to businessmen and investors. According to the new instructions, entry visas will be given for business purposes to representatives of foreign companies on the basis of applications presented by the federations of chambers in their respective countries. Company representatives carrying an invitation from a Saudi chamber but which have no business relations with a Saudi firm are also entitled to receive entry visas.
Abdul Aziz Al-Suwaiyegh, director general of the ministry’s office in the Western region, said Saudi missions abroad had been instructed to implement the new rules with immediate effect. He said the new rules would help attract more foreign investment and businesses, adding that they allow foreign businessmen and investors to visit the Kingdom without a sponsor. “Flexibility and speed are some of the hallmarks of the new laws,” he told Arab News.
Suwaiyegh also said that the ministry would soon issue tourist visas. He revealed plans to activate a transit visa system in order to help foreigners perform Umrah and visit their friends and shop in the Kingdom.
In its instructions to foreign missions, the ministry specified 11 categories of people entitled to business and visit visas. “Businessmen, investors and company representatives in countries where there are no Saudi missions can also get visas from any other Saudi missions by producing letters issued by chambers in their countries or their embassies validating their business identity,” it said.
Engineers, technicians and other professionals who do business or carry out business or administrative activities in a company will be given visas, irrespective of the profession written in their passports.
Those holding diplomatic or private passports and who do not belong to any official agency in their country and are not coming for any official purpose but for visiting Saudi companies will be given ordinary business visas without any fees.
The new rules allow businesswomen and women investors to get entry visas on condition they have a close relative accompanying them or working in the Kingdom or come as part of a business delegation. Women should be informed of the Kingdom’s customs and traditions when receiving visas, the ministry said.
Women investors and businesswomen coming without a close relative will be given visas by the ministry or its branches if they have an invitation from a Saudi company.
Families of businessmen will also get visas if they are accompanying them. “Applications of Saudi companies for business visits including those of government companies such as Saudi Arabian Airlines or Saudi Aramco or those in which the government has more than 50 percent stake such as SABIC will also be accepted.
“The ministry or its branches will issue entry visas to those coming for temporary jobs including engineers, doctors, lawyers, university professors, teachers, computer programmers, technicians, professionals and others.
“Visas will be issued for these jobseekers by the ministry or its branches in response to applications from companies or individuals benefiting from their service,” the ministry said.
Participants in exhibitions will also get visit visas. In order to get such a visa, the organizing Saudi company must apply for the visas through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The ministry said business and visit visas would be given for one month or a maximum of three months. It is allowed to give six-month multiple visas for those foreign executives who require more than one visit.
While issuing visas to Muslims, it must be mentioned that the visa is not valid for Haj. The applicant should not be of a nationality who needs prior approval from the ministry and the passport should be valid for at least six months.
The missions must be sure of the business identity of the applicant in a way which they deem appropriate, the ministry said. It insisted that the missions should not reject any business visa applications without any sound reasons. “If they need any clarification or more information, they should contact the ministry or its branches using quick communication before rejecting the application,” the ministry said.
In the application form, the applicant must write the name of the Saudi party in the “purpose of visit” column. If there is none, then they write the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
