Saudi Arabia ends the 3-year ban on expats who overstayed their visas

Saudi Arabia has lifted a three-year ban on foreigners who did not return before their visas expired, local media reported Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia’s Okaz newspaper reported that the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) ordered all departments to accept foreigners who did not return before the expiry of their exit and re-entry visas. According to Okaz, the directive came into effect on Tuesday, January 16.

The ban was introduced in 2022 when the Director General of Passports said that foreigners who leave the kingdom and do not return within the stipulated time will be banned from the country for three years.
It was said there that those who received a return visa must return to the country within the time specified in the visa, otherwise the employer must issue a new visa.

According to the authorities, the expression “left and did not return” is registered for each foreigner two months after the visa expires.