The Foreign Ministry of Saudi Arabia has introduced electronic visas in place of visa stickers in twelve countries including Pakistan, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Tuesday.
In a statement issued by the Saudi General Aviation Authority, it is said that a new system of issuing e-visa with QR codes has been introduced in the Kingdom’s missions in Pakistan, Turkey, Morocco, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Indonesia, and Egypt.
The move comes as part of the ongoing efforts to “automate procedures and boost the quality of consular services provided by the ministry,” as well as to “develop the mechanism of issuing work, residency and visit visas.”
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been recently revamping the visa procedures and easing visa rules, attracting more tourists and foreign businesses.
It also comes amid talk of a possible unified regional Schengen-style visa among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.