Saudi Arabia has announced that it will lift the entry ban on expats from six countries. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior issued a directive that now allows fully vaccinated expatriates from Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, Vietnam, Egypt, and India to enter the kingdom. The good news means that expats no longer have to spend 14 days in transit outside their countries.
The new rules, which were introduced to stop the spread of Covid-19, will come into effect on December 1 at 1am. Arrivals will still have to quarantine for five days, regardless of their vaccination status outside of Saudi Arabia. Exceptions to the latest Covid-19 rules include diplomats, medical staff and their families.
#وزارة_الداخلية : السماح بالقدوم المباشر إلى المملكة من (إندونيسيا، باكستان، البرازيل، فيتنام، مصر، الهند)، دون الحاجة إلى قضاء (14) يوماً خارجها، على أن يتم تطبيق الحجر الصحي المؤسسي عليهم 5 أيام، بغض النظر عن حالة تحصينهم خارج المملكة، وذلك بدء من الأربعاء القادم.#واس_عام pic.twitter.com/Dq8IepFSX6
— واس العام (@SPAregions) November 25, 2021
The government has stressed the importance of adhering to all precautionary and preventive measures adopted. Under the current rules, it is mandatory to be double-vaxxed if you want to attend events across Saudi Arabia, but you no longer need to wear a mask outdoors.
So, whether you want to go cafe-hopping or catch a new movie, you need to ensure you have a vaccine that has been approved in the kingdom. According to vaccination rules in Saudi Arabia, approved vaccines include Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca.
In Saudi Arabia, it is also mandatory to download the Tawakkalna application, which highlights your vaccination status. If you are exempt from taking the COVID-19 vaccine, don’t worry: your exempt status will be shown on the Tawakkalna application and you will not be affected by the rules.
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