Women aged 25 and over will now be allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia without a chaperone, the country’s tourism commission has announced. It’s the latest reform in the easing of restrictions in the ultra-conservative Gulf kingdom.
As long as they meet the age requirement, women will now be able to receive a tourist visa to visit the country by themselves, Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) spokesman Omar al-Mubarak told the Saudi daily Arab News. The move is part of the country’s wider decision to officially allow tourist visas for both men and women after running a trial period from 2008 to 2010.
“The tourist visa will be a single-entry visa, and valid for 30 days maximum. This visa is added to those currently available in the Kingdom. It is independent of work, visit, Hajj and Umrah visas,”Mubarak said.