Saudi Arabia Announces New Instant E-Visa Options For Visitors

A general view of the Saudi capital Riyadh. (AP)
A general view of the Saudi capital Riyadh. (AP)
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Saudi Arabia Announces New Instant E-Visa Options For Visitors

A general view of the Saudi capital Riyadh. (AP)
A general view of the Saudi capital Riyadh. (AP)

Saudi Arabia announced new instant e-visa options to facilitate UK, US, and Schengen visas holders, as well as permanent residents of UK, US, and any EU country to obtain tourist e-visas to the Kingdom through www.mofa.gov.sa.

The Kingdom has previously extended regulation to provide visas on arrival to the six categories.

The Saudi Tourism Authority is accelerating efforts to make it easier for visitors from across the world to travel to Saudi Arabia, state news agency SPA reproted.

Through digitization, Saudi Arabia is increasing accessibility and connectivity, providing simplified entry routes to visitors, focused on enabling all travelers to enjoy our natural and cultural diversity.

The new instant e-visa is among several initiatives that the Kingdom has launched over the past year to improve the visitor experience.

In 2022, the Saudi Tourism Authority launched the Nusuk platform in collaboration with the Pilgrim Experience Program.

Nusuk, Saudi’s first ever official integrated digital platform, provides pilgrims and visitors an easy-to-use planning gateway for their journeys to Makkah, Madinah, and beyond.



Notre Dame Cathedral is Going to Unveil its New Interior, a Watershed in its Rebirth from Fire

Notre-Dame cathedral rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas (C) blesses the bell donated by Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee (COJO), rung by Olympic medalists during the Paris Games, for its installation in Notre-Dame Cathedral, ahead of the monument's forthcoming reopening after a massive fire and five years of rebuilding efforts, in Paris, France, 07 November 2024. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON
Notre-Dame cathedral rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas (C) blesses the bell donated by Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee (COJO), rung by Olympic medalists during the Paris Games, for its installation in Notre-Dame Cathedral, ahead of the monument's forthcoming reopening after a massive fire and five years of rebuilding efforts, in Paris, France, 07 November 2024. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON
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Notre Dame Cathedral is Going to Unveil its New Interior, a Watershed in its Rebirth from Fire

Notre-Dame cathedral rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas (C) blesses the bell donated by Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee (COJO), rung by Olympic medalists during the Paris Games, for its installation in Notre-Dame Cathedral, ahead of the monument's forthcoming reopening after a massive fire and five years of rebuilding efforts, in Paris, France, 07 November 2024. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON
Notre-Dame cathedral rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas (C) blesses the bell donated by Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee (COJO), rung by Olympic medalists during the Paris Games, for its installation in Notre-Dame Cathedral, ahead of the monument's forthcoming reopening after a massive fire and five years of rebuilding efforts, in Paris, France, 07 November 2024. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

After more than five years of frenetic reconstruction work, Notre Dame Cathedral is going to unveil its new self to the world on Friday, a watershed in the rebirth from its devastating fire in 2019.
The occasion is French President Emmanuel Macron's final visit to the construction site to see the restored interiors for himself before the iconic monument's reopening for worship on Dec. 8.
His two-hour tour is being televised live. The images are expected to be breathtaking, showing creamy renovated stonework, vibrant colors, and other fruits of the mammoth reconstruction, The Associated Press said.
Joined by artisans, architects, business leaders, and donors, Macron is expected to pay tribute to the craftsmanship and dedication of all those who worked to bring Notre Dame back to life.
Macron is scheduled to inspect the restored nave, no longer ripped open by giant holes that the fire tore out of its vaults. He is also to see the rebuilt timber-framed roof, rebuilt with wood from hundreds of oak trees, and other highlights of the reconstruction.
Joined by a group of 700 artisans, architects, business leaders, and donors, Macron is paying tribute to the craftsmanship and dedication behind the restoration effort.
The visit kicks off a series of events ushering in the reopening of the 12th-century Gothic masterpiece.
Macron will return on Dec. 7 to deliver an address and attend the consecration of the new altar during a solemn Mass the following day.
Macron's administration is hailing the reconstruction as a symbol of national unity and French can-do.