Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi citizens will be able to travel to South Africa without a visa from Aug. 15 this year.

The country said last month that Saudi Arabia, as well as the UAE, would be added to the list of countries whose citizens don’t need a visa to visit, Al-Watan newspaper said on Sunday.

Saudi nationals will now be able to enter South Africa for 90 days for tourism and business, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry was quoted as saying by the daily.

South Africa is the 81st country in the world to welcome Saudis without previously issued entry visa.

South Africa has also become the 42nd country to grant entry visa to the Saudis on arrival at the airport.

The Saudi embassy in Pretoria said on its Twitter account that the decision will be effective this month.

According to the embassy, about 6,000 Saudis visit South Africa every year.

According to the passport index in July, as many as 80 countries would welcome the Saudis without entry visa. They consisted of 39 countries which would not ask for previously issued visas and 41 countries to grant them entry visas on arrival.

A total of 118 countries make it imperative on the Saudis to obtain entry visas before they set to travel to them.