Saudi Arabia and Russia signed an agreement on December 1 to implement mutual visa-free travel for nationals of the two countries.
The historic event took place on the sidelines of the Saudi-Russian Investment and Business Forum in Riyadh, with Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Alexander Novak, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, signing the agreement.
Nationals of both countries holding diplomatic, special, or ordinary passports are included in the deal, and they will be able to travel to the other country for tourism, business, and family and friend visits without a visa.
According to the agreement, visitors will be allowed to stay for a maximum of 90 days within a single calendar year. The 90-day period can be spent in the country in a single or multiple trips.
However, the newly signed deal does not cover those who are entering the other country for employment, long-term study, residence, or Hajj. An appropriate visa will be required for these purposes.
In an interview, Russian Deputy Minister Alexander Novak said, “As for the visa-free regime, now that the agreement has been signed, the legal procedures for exchanging notes and bringing the document into force will follow. In my opinion, this will make it possible to visit our countries visa-free at the beginning of next year.”
This deal is especially significant as Russia is the first country with which Saudi Arabia has signed a mutual visa-free agreement for ordinary passport holders.