The Passport Department has issued new regulations stating that family visitor visas would now be limited to only six months, or 180 days, an online paper said, quoting an official spokesman.

The period would start once a visitor arrives in the Kingdom and registers on the passport department’s computerized system, Lt. Col. Ahmed bin Fahad Al-Luhaidan was quoted as saying.

He said that the Passport Department recently launched a family visa extension service where citizens or residents can extend the visa electronically.

Earlier this year, Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Naif allowed expatriate workers to renew the visit visas of their loved ones until the end of 2014. The royal gesture was applauded by expatriates as previous restrictions to renew visas were creating a lot of problems for them.

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