Saudi Arabia has authorized Maldivians to travel to the kingdom without obtaining a visa.
The Saudi government announced its decision yesterday to issue visit visas for tourists from eight countries including the Maldives. The other countries are Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, South Africa, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The visit visa will be issued online or on-arrival, the Saudi government said. The visa authorizes:
- Umra
- Tourism
- Business
- Visiting friends and relatives
The visit visa does not apply for performing the Hajj pilgrimage or seeking wage employment.
Saudi Arabia has been relaxing visa requirements to increase tourism revenue with the aim of welcoming 100 million tourists a year.






