Saudi Arabia permits entry with Sinopharm, Sinovac vaccines after booster shots

Saudi Arabia will only allow entry to travelers who were vaccinated with Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines if they received a booster shot from one of the four approved vaccines in the Kingdom, according to the country’s e-visa portal.

For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.

The vaccines that are currently recognized by the Kingdom are: Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

“Guests who have completed two doses of the Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines will be accepted if they have received an additional dose of one of the four vaccines approved in the Kingdom,” the Ministry of Tourism said in a statement on the e-visa portal.

Saudi Arabia reopened its borders and began allowing vaccinated tourists into the country on August 1.

Coronavirus Saudi Arabia allows citizens from 49 countries to apply for e-visa: Full list

Travelers will be required to provide a negative PCR test result dated within 72 hours before departure, as well as an approved vaccination certificate authorized by health officials in the country of issue.

There is no quarantine requirement for vaccinated travelers, the ministry said.

Citizens from 49 countries can apply for an e-visa on the “Spirit of Saudi” portal. The full list of countries whose citizens who can apply for an e-visa can be found here.

“All travelers entering on a previously issued tourism visa will be required to pay an additional fee of SAR 40 ($10) at the airport of their arrival to cover insurance for any COVID-19 related medical expenses,” the ministry said.

The Kingdom has reported 199,620,791 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, out of which only 10,575 are currently active as of Tuesday.

More than 28 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across Saudi Arabia at over 587 inoculation centers.

Read more:

Saudi Arabia allows citizens from 49 countries to apply for e-visa: Full list

Students in Saudi Arabia must receive first COVID-19 vaccine dose before Aug 8

Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mosque intensifies sanitation efforts ahead of Umrah season