Pakistan and Saudi Arabia waive visas for diplomats and officials
The agreement, signed in New York by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, also covers special passport holders.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement to abolish visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, official and special passports, officials said on Tuesday.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan signed the agreement on September 22 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York. Dar is representing Pakistan at the annual gathering of world leaders.
Dar announced the signing on X, saying the waiver would "further facilitate high-level engagement and institutional exchanges, and contribute to advancing our enduring and brotherly strategic partnership across all areas of mutual interest."
The agreement covers Pakistani citizens travelling to Saudi Arabia with diplomatic and official passports, and Saudi holders of diplomatic, official or special passports travelling to Pakistan, according to ProPakistani, which cited Dar's announcement. Dawn and Minute Mirror reported that the pact abolishes visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, official and special passports.
Diplomatic and official passports are held by government representatives, parliamentarians and senior civil servants, while special passports are issued to certain state officials. The removal of visa requirements will allow these travellers to enter either country without applying for visas in advance. The waiver does not cover ordinary passport holders, who will still need visas.
Geo News said the two countries agreed to remove visa requirements for official passport holders, and Minute Mirror noted the step would make travel easier for officials and other eligible passport holders from both countries and strengthen institutional ties. The new arrangement is expected to reduce the time and paperwork required for official trips between the two countries. The sources did not specify when the waiver would take effect.
The visa waiver comes as Islamabad and Riyadh expand economic and security cooperation. ProPakistani reported that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said last month Pakistan wanted to develop its economic relationship with Saudi Arabia into a strategic economic partnership. A Saudi business delegation has discussed investment opportunities in agriculture, infrastructure, energy and information technology. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have also expanded security cooperation through the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement and its trilateral committee. The agreement is one of several diplomatic moves by Pakistan at the UN General Assembly this week, where bilateral meetings are being held alongside the main session.
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