Saudi Arabia okays tourist visas for 49 countries, shuns Nigeria
- Saudi Arabia will on Saturday, September 28, open its doors to international tourists under a new visa system
- The new visa system allows people from 49 countries to apply for e-visas and visas on arrival
- However, no black African nation, including Nigeria, is included in the offer
The chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, Ahmad Al-Khateeb, has said the kingdom will open its doors to international tourists under a new visa system that allows people from 49 countries to apply for e-visas and visas on arrival.
Al-Khateeb, who made the disclosure on on Friday, September 27, said the move was part of the kingdom’s efforts to wean its economy off oil.
Legit.ng gathers that no black African nation, including Nigeria, is included in the offer, which take effect from Saturday, September 28.
He said: “Riyadh aims to increase international and domestic visits to 100 million a year by 2030. Opening Saudi Arabia to international tourists is a historic moment for our country."
The new system, which accommodates the citizens of Germany, the United States and China among others, will allow tourists to stay for up to three months per entry but can only spend a maximum of 90 days a year using their one-year multiple-entry visa.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the United States government on Tuesday, August 27, announced a new visa fee for non-immigrant Nigerians planning to travel to the country.
The US in a statement released on its Nigerian embassy website said Nigerians would be required to pay a visa issuance fee or reciprocity fee for all non-immigrant under the B, F, H1B, I, L, and R classifications.
The fee the US said, would be charged in addition to the non-immigrant visa application fee, also known as the MRV fee.
According to the US embassy, all visa applicants will pay the reciprocity fee at the time of application.
The new policy, however, said that Nigerians who are denied visas will not be charged the new reciprocity fee even though both reciprocity and MRV fees are non-refundable, and their amounts vary based on visa classification.
The statement said that the law expects visa fees to be based on the treatment afforded to US citizens by foreign governments, insofar as possible.
It said the visa issuance fees are implemented under the principle of reciprocity; when a foreign government imposes additional visa fees on US citizens, the United States will impose reciprocal fees on citizens of that country for similar types of visas.
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According to the US government, citizens of some countries across the world are currently required to pay the reciprocity fee after their non-immigrant visa application has been approved.
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Source: Legit.ng
