Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to waive visas for diplomatic, official passport holders

Under the arrangement, Pakistani citizens holding diplomatic and official passports will be able to travel to Saudi Arabia without obtaining a visa, Dar said. Pleased to announce that on the sidelines of #UNGA2026, I signed today with my brother, His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan @Faisalbin.

Farhan, the “Agreement between Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the abolition of visa requirements for holders of Diplomatic and Official/Special Passports.” This important step will further facilitate high-level engagement and institutional exchanges, and contribute to advancing our enduring and brotherly strategic partnership across all areas of mutual interest.— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaq.

Dar50)September 21, 2026He described the agreement as an important step towards facilitating high-level engagement and institutional exchanges between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Dar said the move would also help strengthen the two countries’ “enduring and brotherly strategic partnership” in areas of mutual interest.

Expanding Pakistan-Saudi ties. The visa waiver agreement comes as Islamabad and Riyadh continue efforts to expand their economic, political and strategic cooperation. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said last month that Pakistan sought to transform its economic relationship with Saudi Arabia into a mutually beneficial strategic economic partnership.

His remarks came during a meeting with a Saudi business delegation led by Prince Mansour bin Mohammad Al Saud, chairman of the Saudi-Pak Joint Business Council. The Saudi delegation expressed interest in investment opportunities in several sectors, including agriculture, ports, highways, airport outsourcing, real estate, energy, power distribution and information technology.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have also expanded cooperation in security and defence. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in August to establish a framework for collective security cooperation.

The Strategic Political and Defence Committee created under the agreement held its inaugural meeting in Istanbul on August 31, with the three countries agreeing to institutionalise cooperation under the pact. The latest visa arrangement is expected to simplify official travel and facilitate greater interaction between government institutions of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.