Saudi Arabia will automatically renew the validity of residence permits (Iqama), exit and re-entry visas of expats stranded abroad until July 31, 2021, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Tuesday.

The General Directorate of Passports has begun automatically renewing these visas at no additional cost to the visa holders, SPA said.

The residence visa related extensions will only be granted to expatriates from the 20 countries, the list of which was announced on February 2, from where entry into the Kingdom was suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 20 countries include the United Arab Emirates, Germany, USA, UK, South Africa, France, Egypt, Lebanon, India, Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Sweden, Swiss Confederation and Turkey.

In addition, the validity of visit visas for visitors who are in the countries from where entry is suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic will also be extended until July 31.

As of June 8, the Kingdom has reported a total of 459,968 Covid-19 cases, including 1,261 cases detected over the previous 24 hours.