New Visa Announcement for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

For any U.S. traveler to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, please note that the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia announced on November 23, 2011 that commencing from the end of year of Hajj 1432H (November 26, 2011), machine readable passports are required when applying for visas to enter the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Non-machine readable passport holders will not be granted visas. This new regulation will be applied to travelers from all countries around the world without any exception.