96-hour visa with flight ticket: Saudi airline announces new travel service

Saudi Arabian airline Saudia has announced that travellers holding a flight ticket from the airline will be allowed to enter the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a maximum of four days (or 96 hours), local media reported. The passenger will also be allowed to use this time to perform Haj and Umrah in the Kingdom.

This system is already in place on a number of UAE-based airlines, with Etihad, Emirates, Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi offering transit visas of 48 to 96 hours along with plane tickets.

A spokesperson for Saudia is reported as saying that when passengers book plane tickets online, they will be asked whether or not they require a visa. If they indicate that they do, they will be redirected to fill out a form and complete some procedures, not exceeding three minutes long.

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