ISLAMABAD- Saudi Arabia has allowed a free extension of the validity ofvisas and iqamas of expatriates who were stranded in the country due to thetravel ban amid the third COVID outbreak in the country.

The Saudi Press Agency reported that the kingdom’s finance ministerapproved a free-of-charge extension of validity of iqamas, exit, andre-entry visas of stranded ex-pats on royal orders. The move was directedat ensuring the safety of citizens and residents and mitigating itseconomic and financial impacts on expats.——————————

Later, the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) also confirmed thedevelopment, saying that the extension will be done automatically incooperation with the National Information Center.

The free extension in visas comes as a surprise to many non-residents, asin March, the Saudi government had asked the visitors who were trappedinside the kingdom to pay a fee to get their stay extended for up to 180days.——————————

——————————

The decision had been taken after Saudi Arabia decided to suspend allinternational flights for two weeks in light of the outbreak of coronavirus.