Saudi Arabia removes requirement of police certificates for visas

The Saudi Arabian embassy in New Delhi said the decision was made because of the strategic partnership between the two countries

Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that Indian nationals will no longer be required to submit a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) to obtain a visa, a decision expected to benefit workers seeking employment in the West Asian country.

For representational purposes only. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The 2.2 million-strong Indian community is the largest expatriate community in Saudi Arabia, and also one of the largest concentration of Indians in West Asia. While a lot of Indians returned to India during the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of people going back to Saudi Arabia for employment.

The Saudi Arabian embassy in New Delhi said the decision was made because of the strategic partnership between the two countries and was part of steps to further boost bilateral ties.

“In view of the strong relations and strategic partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of India, the Kingdom has decided to exempt the Indian nationals from submitting a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC),” the embassy said in a statement.

“The PCC will no longer be a requirement for Indian citizens to obtain a visa for travelling to Saudi Arabia. This decision has been taken as a part of the efforts of the two countries to further strengthen their relations,” it said.

The embassy also said Saudi Arabia “appreciates the contribution of over two million Indian citizens living peacefully in the Kingdom”.

The Indian community in Saudi Arabia is well regarded its contributions to the development of the kingdom have been acknowledged by the government there. In October 2019, the two countries announced that India’s e-Migrate system would be integrated with Saudi Arabia’s e-Thawtheeq system to streamline the migration process for workers.

Saudi Arabia is also India’s fourth largest trading partner. Till India stepped up the import of Russian oil earlier this year, Saudi Arabia accounted for more than 18% of India’s crude oil imports. During April-December 2022, bilateral trade was valued at $29.28 billion.

India’s imports from Saudi Arabia in this period were valued at $22.65 billion and exports to Saudi Arabia were worth $6.63 billion. As of October 2021, there were around 745 Indian companies in Saudi Arabia registered as joint ventures or 100% owned entities with investments worth about $2 billion.