King Salman orders to allow return of expats on exit re-entry and final exit visas

Saudi Arabia will facilitate the travel of expatriates who have an exit-reentry visa or final exit visa to return to their home countries, according to a statement issued by the the Ministry of Interior on Wednesday.

The new initiative is in accordance with the order of King Salman, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Under the new ‘Awdah‘ initiative, expatriates can apply for permission to travel to their countries through the Absher Portal.

Requests for travel from expatriates will be received and approved in coordination with the competent authorities to complete their travel procedures on board international flights.

Upon approval of the request, a text message will be sent to the beneficiary stating the date of travel, the ticket number and the details of the reservation, which will enable the beneficiary to obtain his travel ticket and to complete the travel procedures.

Expatriates can submit requests with simple procedures, login to the Absher portal, select the Auda icon and fill in the following fields

• Iqama Number
• Date of Birth
• Mobile Number
• Departure City
• Airport of Arrival

The ministry also said it is not mandatory for the expatriate to have his own Absher account to avail of the service.

The ministry said the departure will go through the following airports:

• King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh
• King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah
• Prince Muhammad International Airport in Madinah
• King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.

Expatriates who are living outside of these cities can benefit from the service by entering the airport of departure after completing their travel procedures.