Flying to Saudi Arabia? PIA says you need a polio vaccination certificate

A spokesperson for the national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has advised passengers flying to Saudi Arabia to bring along a polio vaccination certificate with them. 

The Kingdom has made polio certificates mandatory for flying to the country, the spokesperson clarified, adding that many passengers have faced hassle and delays at airports without certificates. 

The vaccine can be taken at least four weeks before travelling but inoculation should not be more than six months old. The spokesperson stressed that the vaccine is necessary for all kinds of travellers, whether they are on Umrah visa, tourist visas or work permits. 

However, travellers who are on transit in the Kingdom for less than 12 hours are not required to present a vaccination certificate. 

The rules will apply to all airlines, not just PIA. "Travel to Saudi Arabia will not be allowed without a polio vaccination certificate, so avoid problems as these guidelines apply to travel through all airports and all airlines,” said the spokesman.

On Thursday, Pakistan reported its second case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in 2025 in Badin, Sindh. The first case was detected in Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

2024 saw 74 confirmed cases of polio in Pakistan, with 27 detected in Balochistan, 23 from Sindh, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.