RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry has allowed direct entry of fully vaccinated expatriates even if their countries are facing a travel ban by the Kingdom, an official source at the ministry announced.
The decision only allows the foreigners having a valid iqama (residency permit) and those who left the Kingdom on exit and re-entry visa after taking two doses of vaccine against coronavirus from Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan is amongst the countries facing this travel ban in the backdrop of Covid spread. Countries with travel ban cannot fly their people into the Kingdom directly.
Though the decision has been announced via the sources, it is still awaited starting when it is applicable, nor has there been any flight schedule hammered out for it.
The travelers can instead choose to quarantine themselves in a transit destination before they can be allowed entry into the Kingdom.
Besides Pakistan, here are the countries facing the travel ban at the moment: India, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Lebanon.
The interior ministry source quoted by the local media said that the authorities had earlier allowed direct entry to Saudi citizens, as well as to foreign diplomats, health practitioners and their families from the countries facing travel ban.
