Saudi Arabia to ease international flights restrictions on Sep 15, umrah travel to be announced

Saudi Arabia will partially ease the suspension of inbound and outbound international flights from Tuesday (September 15) after closing its borders in March as part of efforts to control the spread of COVID-19.

A plan will also be announced to allow the umrah, state news agency SPA reported on Sunday (September 13) citing the Interior Ministry. Saudi authorities suspended all entry for umrah at the end of February.

The Ministry said it will end all restrictions on air, land and sea transport after January 1, 2021, the exact date of which will be announced 30 days before the start of the new year.

However, starting from six in the morning on September 15, citizens of the GCC and non-Saudis with residency permits or visit visas may enter the Kingdom if they test negative for COVID-19 in the previous 48 hours.  

Other categories that will be allowed arrival and departure from September 15 are:

• Civilian and military governmental employees assigned to official tasks
• Personnel at Saudi diplomatic and consular missions as well as attachés abroad and personnel at regional and international organizations, their families and companions
• Personnel at permanent jobs, in public, private or non-profit facilities, outside the Kingdom, and those who have job tasks in companies or commercial institutions outside Saudi Arabia
• Businesspersons whose business requires travel to conclude commercial and/or industrial activities as well as export, marketing and sales directors whose tasks require them to visit clients
• Patients whose treatment requires travel outside the Kingdom, based on medical reports, particularly cancer patients and patients in need of organ transplantation
• Students on scholarships, or those studying at their own expense and trainees on medical fellowship programs whose studies or training require travel to the countries in which they study or train, and their dependents
• Humane cases, particularly the following two:
  1. A male or female citizen who seeks reunification with his/her relatives residing outside the Kingdom
  2. The death of a husband, wife, parent, or child outside Saudi Arabia
• Expatriates outside Saudi Arabia and their dependents who can show evidence of their legal residence outside the Kingdom
• Participants in regional and international official sporting events, including players and members of technical and administrative staff

Saudi authorities lifted restrictions on domestic flights on May 31.

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