Saudi Arabia: online and on-arrival tourist visas now open to Kosovo and Guyana
Citizens of Kosovo and Guyana can now obtain Saudi tourist visas online or on arrival. Both countries have been on the official list of eligible nationalities since early October 2026, bringing the total to 68 countries.
For Guyanese citizens, the measure removes a condition that previously complicated visa access: holding a valid U.S., U.K., or Schengen visa.
Two new nationalities added to the official list
The expansion was announced by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as reported by the Saudi press on October 4, 2026. It is visible on the official electronic visa portal, http://visa.visitsaudi.com : Kosovo now appears in the Europe section, and Guyana in the South America section, where it stands alone. The portal lists 68 eligible countries in total.
For Kosovars, this is a new access route to a simplified tourist visa: the Kosovar passport joins the European list, alongside Albania and Montenegro, which were already eligible. The conditions remain the same as those of the Saudi portal, identical for all nationalities on the list.
The list has been expanding in stages. A previous extension involved three Caribbean countries, the Bahamas, Barbados, and Grenada. |
What changes for Guyanese citizens
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guyana was the first to announce the change in a press release dated October 3, 2026. It states that Guyanese passport holders previously had to hold a valid U.S., U.K., or Schengen visa to be eligible for either the online tourist visa or an on-arrival visa. This condition has now been removed.
This third-country visa requirement was previously a pathway open to all nationalities: the official Saudi tourism website noted that holders of valid U.S., U.K., or Schengen visas could obtain a Saudi tourist visa on arrival. However, Guyanese citizens without such visas had to apply through the Saudi embassy.
The Guyanese Ministry highlights three practical consequences:
Guyana becomes the only South American country whose citizens can obtain an online tourist visa or on-arrival visa without a third-country visa.
There is no longer a need to visit a Saudi embassy.
Guyanese passports and visa fees are sufficient to submit an application online or receive the visa on arrival.
Georgetown presents this development as a result of the ongoing rapprochement with Riyadh, particularly in trade, investment, and tourism. In late July 2026, Guyana accredited its first non-resident ambassador to the Kingdom, stationed in Doha. The Guyanese government also notes it is continuing to improve the security features of its machine-readable passports to meet international standards and expand access to other destinations for its citizens.
Regarding Umrah, the official Saudi tourism website states that holders of an online tourist visa must still apply separately for their Umrah or visit permit (Ziyarah) through the Nusuk platform. The visa alone does not grant direct access to Umrah rituals: the permit remains a separate procedure to complete once the visa is obtained.
A specialist in regulatory monitoring and a content destination expert, she analyzes daily changes in entry formalities to turn complex administrative processes into practical guides. Her role blends ground-level expertise with technical precision to ensure the reliability of the information provided to travelers.
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