Dubai-Riyadh remains the busiest air route – but getting a Saudi visa is taking a lot longer

Dubai-Riyadh remains the busiest air route – but getting a Saudi visa is taking a lot longer

Dubai: Planning a trip to Saudi Arabia during Ramadan? While ticket rates from the UAE to Riyadh or Jeddah have not seen any change, getting the visa is taking much longer – a whole lot longer. “Earlier, scheduling a visit to the local visa service provider for a Saudi visa used to take about a day, but now that alone takes at least 5 days,” said Subair Valappil, Senior Manager - Outbound Operations, Regal Tours. “After the appointment, travelers have to wait for another five days or so for the visa to come through.” Demand for travel to Riyadh and Jeddah has been on the rise with the kingdom emerging as a second base for more multinational companies operating in the region. “We are seeing a lot of companies setting up offices in Riyadh and then later bringing in employees on a business visa,” said Valappil. The business visa, unlike the normal tourist visa, offers multiple entry and can be issued for periods of up to 12 months. It could be the only option for some UAE-based expats as visit visas are still not open for citizens from countries such as India, Pakistan and the Philippines. Riyadh has been the