According to Saudi authorities, foreign residents with exit/re-entry visas are allowed to return to the kingdom until the validity of their visas expires.
Passport holders can also extend their visas electronically while outside Saudi Arabia after paying fees via the Absher or Muqeem platforms, according to the General Directorate of Passports.
Authorities pointed out that the expatriate’s passport should be valid for at least 90 days for issuing the exit/re-entry, and 60 days for issuing the final exit visa.
According to the directorate, it is not permissible to convert the exit/re-entry visa into a final exit visa if the beneficiary is outside the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia hosts a large community of migrant workers.
Last May, the Saudi General Authority for Statistics, citing a recent census, put the kingdom’s total population at 32.2 million with foreigners making up around 13.4 million or 41.5 per cent. Asian nationals from three countries accounted for over 42 per cent of the total foreigners in Saudi Arabia, according to the census figures.
Saudi state television Al Ekhbariya reported that Bangladeshis made up about 15.08 percent of the overall expatriate population in Saudi Arabia, followed by Indians with 1.88 million and Pakistanis with 1.81 million.
With 1.8 million expatriates in Saudi Arabia, Yemenis ranked fourth, followed by Egyptians with 1.4 million, Sudanese with 819,000, Filipinos with 725,000, and Syrians with 449,000.
