UK to waive visa requirement for Saudi, Bahraini nationals from June 1

UK to waive visa requirement for Saudi, Bahraini nationals from June 1

Starting June 1, 2022, citizens of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain can apply to travel to the UK (for tourism, business, study or medical treatment) for up to 6 months with an electronic visa waiver. The electronic visa wavier system is already available to nationals of other GCC member states including Kuwait, UAE and Qatar. An electronic visa waiver allows the holder to travel to the UK without obtaining a visa provided they complete an online waiver for each visit. There will be a nominal fee will applicable when applying for the waiver online, though the entire process does away with the requirements to provide biometric information (photo and fingerprints), visit a visa application centre or even hand in of the passport prior to their travel. “The electronic visa waiver is a quick, digital alternative to the regular visit visa and ensures all the necessary security checks are carried out in advance of travel,” said UK Home Secretary Priti Patel. In 2019, the UK saw 221,000 visitors from Saudi Arabia with those visitors spending GBP627m, according to figures shared by VisitBritain. Saudi Arabia is the UK’s 13th most valuable market for visitor spending. Visitors from Saudi Arabia are believed to be