Tourist visas could be obtained for a maximum period of 60 days. Generally visas are issued in accordance with the tour programme, Ahmed Al-Eissa, director general for licenses and quality at the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), said.

The SCT has decided to issue tourist visas, through licensed tour operators, as part of its efforts to attract 1.5 million tourists a year by 2020, excluding the millions who come on Haj and Umrah pilgrimages.