Saudi Arabia and Russia signed a mutual visa waiver agreement in Riyadh on Monday that will allow citizens of both countries visits of up to 90 days, marking the first time Saudi Arabia has offered visa-free entry to holders of ordinary passports.
The agreement was signed by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak during the Saudi-Russian Investment and Business Forum in the kingdom’s capital. According to reports from the Russian and Saudi state news agencies, the deal applies to holders of diplomatic, special and regular passports and will allow citizens of either country to enter visa-free for 90 days for tourism, business and family visits.
The visa exemption will not apply to visitors traveling to Saudi Arabia for work, study, residency or the Hajj pilgrimage.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the agreement “will increase reciprocal visits and enhance tourism, economic and cultural cooperation" in line with Saudi Arabia's tourism push under its Vision 2030 plan, which aims to diversify the kingdom's economy and shift away from dependence on oil. Riyadh originally aimed to attract 100 million tourists annually by 2030, but it has already surpassed that target and raised the goal to 150 million. The kingdom also aims for tourism to account for 10% of its GDP by 2030.
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