1. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the Republic of Korea Riyad A. Almubaraky formally signed the “MOU between the ROK and Saudi Arabia on the facilitation of the issuance of visit visas” at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on April 24.

o The agreement will enter into force on the date of the last notification that the two countries have completed their domestic procedures.

※ Official name: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Republic of Korea and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the Facilitation of the Issuance of Visit Visas for the Nationals of the Two Countries   * Its name is MOU, but it is a legally-binding intergovernmental treaty.

- After the signing of the MOU, domestic procedures for its entry into force are not required in the ROK, but the Saudi Arabian side needs to complete its domestic procedures for the entry into force of the agreement (approval by the Cabinet).

2. After the MOU takes effect, the nationals and businessmen of the two countries with valid passports will be able to obtain a multi-entry visa valid for 5 years, which allows them to stay for up to 90 days every time they enter the other country for tourism or business purposes.

o Now, to enter Saudi Arabia, the ROK nationals are paying about 1.8 million won’s worth of fees to obtain a multi-entry visa with a validity of 1 year. The signing of the MOU, in which the two countries agreed on US$90 dollars’ worth of fees to obtain a multi-entry visa valid for 5 years, will ease fee burden for Korean nationals.

※ The MOU stipulates that during the period of stay, the nationals of the two countries cannot work or study.

3. The MOU, when in force, is expected to resolve many of the difficulties faced by Korean nationals travelling to Saudi Arabia, including complicated procedures for issuance of entry visas, and expensive visa issuance fees, and to contribute to facilitating exchanges between the people and companies of the two countries.

* unofficial translation