Visa Exemption and Economic Cooperation Agreements in Türkiye-Saudi Arabia Relations

As part of diplomatic engagements between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, new agreements were signed aimed at enhancing political economic and strategic relations between the two countries. In particular the mutual visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and special passports and the economic cooperation protocols have been regarded as indicators of a new chapter in bilateral relations.

The third meeting of the Turkish-Saudi Coordination Council was held on 6 May 2026 in Ankara under the chairmanship of Türkiye’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud. Relevant ministries and public institutions from both countries participated in the meeting. Discussions addressed cooperation in strategic areas including trade energy defense education culture tourism and transportation.

It was also reported that regional developments including those in Gaza were reviewed during the meeting. Turkish and Saudi sides examined ongoing committee work aimed at further institutionalizing their bilateral relations.

On the margins of the meeting the Protocol of the Second Session of the Committee on Trade Industry Investment Infrastructure and Energy was signed between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia. It was stated that the protocol contains provisions designed to increase bilateral trade volume and strengthen investment ties.

During a meeting between Türkiye’s Deputy Minister of Trade Mustafa Tuzcu and Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Investment Ibrahim Al-Mubarak steps to expand mutual trade were discussed. Particular emphasis was placed on expanding cooperation in infrastructure energy and investment.

It was reported that bilateral trade between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia reached approximately 8.5 billion US dollars in 2025 with a short-term target of raising this figure to 10 billion US dollars.

One of the most notable outcomes of the meeting was the mutual visa exemption agreement for holders of diplomatic and special passports. Under the signed agreement holders of diplomatic passports as well as holders of special passports commonly known in public discourse as green passports will be able to travel to Saudi Arabia without a visa.

The agreement was signed under the title “Agreement on Mutual Exemption from Visa Obligations for Holders of Diplomatic and Special Passports between the Government of the Republic of Türkiye and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.

It was noted that Saudi citizens are already exempt from visa requirements for travel to Türkiye.

According to sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the visa exemption agreement applies to tourist and official travel excluding Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. Hajj arrangements will continue to be conducted under existing special protocols and quota systems.

It was stated that Turkish citizens traveling to Saudi Arabia for Hajj are selected through a lottery system organized by the Directorate of Religious Affairs and that Turkey’s Hajj quota for 2026 is set at 86 000 persons.

The Turkish-Saudi Coordination Council was established in 2016 and held its first meeting in Ankara in 2017. However following the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul the two countries experienced a serious diplomatic crisis.

During this period political relations between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia deteriorated and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made strong public statements against the Saudi leadership on international platforms.

Following the normalization process that began in 2021 relations were revitalized and the second meeting of the Coordination Council was held in Riyadh on 18 May 2025. The third meeting in 2026 was regarded as a significant step toward the renewed institutionalization of diplomatic and economic cooperation between the two countries.