Saudi Gazette report RIYADH – Extension of visit visas can now be carried out throughout the year as per the directive of Minister of Interior Prince Muhammad Bin Naif. Last month, a Directorate General of Passports (Jawazat) official had announced that starting June 29 (Ramadan 1) visit visas for expatriates, except for Syrian nationals, will no longer be extended. However on Saturday, Director General of Passports Maj. Gen. Sulaiman Abdulaziz Al-Yahya said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) that expatriates can extend visit visas as per the procedures all around the year. He said the directive follows the minister's realization of the circumstances of visitors to the Kingdom sometimes necessitating their stay for an additional period. Maj. Gen. Al-Yahya urged all citizens, expatriates and visitors to comply with the residency (iqama) and labor regulations so as to avoid penalties. Expatriates welcomed Prince Muhammad's decision as Ramadan gift for them. The announcement in May by Jawazat Spokesman Lt. Col. Ahmed Al-Lihaida that expatriates will no longer be able to extend visit visas had made foreign workers gloomy.
