Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH – A total of 11 ministries and government agencies have been assigned the task of developing a Unified National Visa Platform, according to a decision taken by the Council of Ministers on May 17. As per the decision, the National Information Center (NIC) will host the Unified National Visa Platform.

The Cabinet decided to transform the Online Visa Platform under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to NIC. The weekly session of the Council stated that the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development will be responsible — through its platforms — for all work visa applications submitted by natural or legal persons and sent for approval to the Unified National Platform for Visas at MOFA.

The new committee will consist of representatives of 10 ministries and government agencies apart from MOFA. The committee will be tasked to undertake the procedures to develop the unified platform. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be the owner and technical developer of the platform while NIC will be its host.

The Cabinet revealed that adoption of the Unified National Visa Platform does not entail any change in the existing electronic systems and procedures currently in force at the Ministry of Interior and its platforms, including those pertaining to the Border Law, the Recruitment Law, and the rules for dealing with expatriates.

The Cabinet decision also included the creation of a technical working team at MOFA, and its members also included representatives from MOFA, NIC, the Digital Government Authority and the National Cybersecurity Authority to ensure the transition of hosting of the visa platform from MOFA to NIC within a period not exceeding one year from the date of the Cabinet decision.