Visitors from 80 countries entered Saudi Arabia for Formula E using ‘e-visa’

Described as a ‘milestone’ for Saudi Arabia, and the first move to open its borders to international visitors, the kingdom’s General Sports Authority announced that 1,000 foreign visitors from 80 different entered the country to attend Formula E using the electronic visa program Sharek.

According to the Vice President of the General Sports Authority Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal, there is a large demand for “electronic visa” which will be studied and built upon based on the success achieved in the Ad-Diriyah Formula E event which attracted many foreign visitors.

Visitors took the opportunity to visit some of the kingdom’s cultural and historic sites, as well as the desert, which is a new move that is likely to further boost tourism and the economy.

Although the list of eligible countries has not been finalized, Saudi Arabia has already announced that e-visas will be available to US citizens, Schengen holders, as well as citizens of Australia, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan. They stated that more countries will likely be added to the list.

The e-visa application only takes a few minutes to complete online. There are some basic requirements that candidates must meet. Applicants will need to make sure that each section of the application is completed as accurately as possible, and will not need to go to the embassy or consulate. Once approved, the traveler will only need to print a copy of the e-visa for submission to Saudi authorities upon arrival.