Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement to waive visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, official and special passports, with the arrangement aimed at facilitating official travel and high-level engagement between the two countries.
Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Foreign Minister (FM) Ishaq Dar signed the agreement on Tuesday with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on the sidelines of the 2026 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York.
Dar announced the signing in a post on X, saying that the agreement will facilitate high-level engagement and institutional exchanges between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
He said that the step will also contribute to advancing the’ “enduring and brotherly strategic partnership” across areas of mutual interest.
The agreement will allow Pakistani citizens holding diplomatic and official passports to travel to Saudi Arabia without obtaining a visa, according to Dar’s announcement. The visa waiver is the latest in a series of agreements and measures through which Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have expanded cooperation in economic, political and defence matters.
In August, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, alongside Turkiye, signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement to strengthen collective security, deepen defence cooperation and promote peace and stability in the region and beyond.
The Strategic Political and Defence Committee established under the agreement held its inaugural meeting in Istanbul on August 31, where the three countries agreed to institutionalise cooperation under the pact.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also agreed in August to increase Pakistani agricultural and food exports to Saudi Arabia to $3 billion. The agreement was reached during a visit by a Saudi delegation led by Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Engineer Abdulrahman Al-Fadley.
Last month, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan wanted to elevate its economic relationship with Saudi Arabia into a mutually beneficial strategic economic partnership.
His remarks came during a meeting with a high-level 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 agriculture, ports, highways, airport outsourcing, real estate, energy, power distribution and information technology.
Saudi Arabia also introduced measures concerning travel by Pakistani nationals earlier this year. In July, Riyadh launched a multiple-entry Umrah visa with one-year validity from the date of issuance, allowing pilgrims to enter the kingdom multiple times, with a cumulative stay of up to 90 days each year.
In 2024, Saudi Arabia eased tourist visa requirements for Pakistani travellers by allowing them to submit a bank statement showing a minimum monthly credit amount of $750 or its equivalent.
Separately, Dar and Prince Faisal discussed regional security and bilateral matters during their meeting.
Dar expressed Pakistan’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia and condemned recent attacks on the kingdom, according to the Foreign Office (FO).
The two foreign ministers also discussed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation under the pact and advancing regional peace, stability and security.
