The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has announced new procedures for permitting entry of all non-Saudi citizens and exempted travellers into the kingdom. 

 

As per these new GACA rules, which will come into force from May 20, those passengers who have received full doses of one of the vaccines approved by the Ministry of Health will be allowed into the country in reference to the Ministry of Interior statement regarding institutional quarantine procedures for all arrivals to Saudi Arabia from countries for whose travellers are not suspended, according to Saudi Press Agency.

 

In a circular sent to all airlines operating in the kingdom, GACA said they must ensure all travellers over the age of 8 barring Saudi citizens or other exempted groups carried coronavirus test certificates approved in the kingdom not exceeding 72 hours from the scheduled flight departure.

 

It stipulates the application of the institutional quarantine on non-Saudi citizens and the unvaccinated exempted travellers, coming from exempted countries. 

 

The GACA circular also stated that all unvaccinated travellers will have to bear expenses for their institutional quarantine, which will be included in their ticket price with a valid health insurance policy to cover the risks that may result from infection with Covid-19.

 

The authorities also said that non-Saudi passengers and the exempted groups who have received full doses of one of the vaccines approved by the Ministry of Health will be allowed to enter the kingdom without the need to quarantine themselves provided they present an official vaccination certificate before and upon their arrival, reported SPA.

 

They have urged airlines to conclude contracts with shelter and accommodation centers authorized by the Ministry of Tourism to accommodate the above-mentioned categories who meet the conditions of institutional quarantine for a period of seven days, provided that a medical test is done for each of them on the sixth day to show a negative result, it added.