The Indian government has made e-visas available for Saudi nationals in an effort to ease travel and increase the number of Saudi visitors to the country, it said on Monday.
India’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dr. Ausaf Sayeed told Arab News “I am happy to announce that the e-visa facility is now available to Saudi nationals, and all related agencies have been informed. Saudi nationals can apply for the visa online from the comfort of their homes or from anywhere in the world.”
E-visa application confirmations will be filed within a 24-hour period of submission, approval granted within 72 hours, and the visa will be valid for one year.
All applicants will need are valid identification documents, like passports, and a debit or credit card with which to pay the e-visa fee.
The e-visa will then be sent via email, and can be used digitally or printed. The e-visas are issued for a period of one year with multiple entries and each stay is valid up to 90 days, the ambassador said.
Sayeed added that applicants could opt for tourist, business or medical visas via the new system, which will render the current biometric visa system redundant.
The decision comes following the visit by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Riyadh in April 2016 and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s trip to New Delhi in February this year.
India launched e-visa facilities for 43 countries in November 2014 to simplify the process of obtaining a visa to the country, and to promote it as a tourist destination.
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