Saudi Arabia establishes new visa category for Turkish drivers

1-year multi-entry land transport visa to be issued for around $80, while single-entry transit transport visas to be free of charge, following recent negotiations

Saudi Arabia established a completely new visa category for Turkish drivers as a part of the negotiations between the two countries for visa facilitation, enabling land-based transportation from Türkiye to Saudi Arabia after many years. Following the developments in the Middle East, transit routes via Iraq and Syria opened and created opportunities for Turkish firms to reach Saudi Arabia by land, leading to high-level contacts being established with Riyadh to transport goods to the country under suitable conditions. Drivers engaged in road transport will be able to apply for a previously non-existent visa, and the specifics of the application process through intermediary firms, required documents, fees, and visa types were outlined in a recent letter sent to civil society organizations by the Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Ministry’s Transportation Services Regulation General Directorate. Companies with visas began operations, leading to an uptick in the number of shipments to Saudi Arabia, according to the U-Net automation system used by the ministry for licensed transport firms. Following the discussions between the Turkish and Saudi Arabian sides to ease the difficulties drivers face during operational processes, an agreement was reached to issue multi-entry land transport visas for a one-year period for 300 Saudi riyals ($79.88), as well as a single-entry transit transport visa free of charge. The decision is expected to be followed by other efforts by Saudi authorities to facilitate transport operations and driver visa issuance processes. The Turkish side also requested to extend the permitted four-day stay period for a transit transport visa to 15 days, as is the case for bilateral transport. The current four-day period is insufficient given the country’s vast area, occasional maintenance and repair needs, and the need to comply with driver rest periods. The discussions also included the issue of high fees paid to intermediaries for visa processing and bringing them down to reasonable levels.