The tarmac of the King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh. (Credit: Archive swisshippo/ Bigstock)
BEIRUT — Saudi Arabia has drastically simplified visa procedures for Lebanese nationals meeting certain criteria, according to a Middle East Airlines (MEA) statement issued Thursday.
Passengers holding a valid passport issued by the Lebanese authorities and already holding a Schengen, US or UK visa will be able to obtain their visa to enter the Saudi territory upon arrival at the airport.
This procedure will be open to all holders of a Lebanese passport valid for at least 6 months after the date of entry into Saudi territory, according to the general rules currently in force, and provided that:
. The Schengen, American or British visa is valid
. Passengers entered the country that issued the visa at least once since the date of issue
. Passengers have a bank card with which they can make international payments in foreign currencies (e.g. "fresh" dollars, euros, pounds sterling)
. Passengers pay the visa fee of 480 Saudi riyals ($127 at the current exchange rate) with the same card
. Fees are not paid in cash. Entry will be refused to travelers unable to pay visa fees with their bank card.
Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, the President of the Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies in Lebanon, Jean Abboud, welcomed "a significant relaxation" compared to previous, exhaustive procedures that had to be processed by the kingdom's embassy in Beirut.
He said believes the measure will increase passenger flow between Lebanon and Saudi airports, which are already served by 14 weekly connections.
The measure also seems to confirm the appeasement of relations between Beirut and Riyadh after several years of diplomatic friction against a background of regional tensions with Iran, which supports the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Wahhabi kingdom.
Visa applications for Lebanese passport holders previously held much stricter conditions, including a requirement to be invited to the country and to have a guarantor. Lebanese citizens who do hold the visas identified by Saudi authorities under the simplified procedure, however, can still apply for a visa through the online portal.
"Fresh" dollars refers to "real" dollars, exchangeable at the parallel market rate (around LL 36,000 for one dollar, as of Thursday) or Banque du Liban's Sayrafa platform (LL 30,100 to the dollar), as opposed to bank dollars blocked by illegal restrictions implemented at the start of Lebanon's economic crisis.