Saudi Arabia and Britain announced the new procedures for electronic visa waiver regime

The revised rules for the electronic visa waiver scheme, which enables Saudi individuals visiting Britain to remain for considerably longer, were revealed by Saudi Arabia and Britain on Wednesday. A valid term of up to two years and multiple entrance throughout that period are features of the new Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) regime, which superseded the Electronic Visa Waiver (ETV). The new programme will go into force on February 22, 2024, and the visa cost will be a symbolic 10 pounds sterling.

The announcement was made on Wednesday at the British Ministry of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development's headquarters in Riyadh during a meeting between Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Eng. Walid Al-Kheraiji and Lord Tariq Ahmed, Minister of State for MENA, South Asia and the UN.

According to Al-Kheraiji and Tariq Ahmed, the establishment of this new visa policy reinforces the strong ties between Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom as well as the ongoing cooperation between the foreign ministries of the two nations in order to realise the goals of their respective leaderships and populace.

Applications for the new ETA visa may be made online starting on February 1, 2024, for travel, business, short courses of study, and medical care. The inhabitants of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and Oman are also among those who benefit from the new ETA visa policy. This is an extension of the ETA programme, which became available to Qatari nationals on November 15, 2023.

The UK sources state that citizens of these nations may start applying on February 1 for an ETA, which will be required for any travel or transit through the United Kingdom starting on February 22 for those nationals travelling for business, pleasure, or short-term study. Unless the applicant's passport expires earlier, the ETA will be valid for two years and permit repeated journeys to the United Kingdom.

The sources stated that the programme would reportedly be phased in over the course of 2024 to include new nations. The EVW is a UK visa waiver that enables its bearer to enter the nation without a visa for brief visits.