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Okaz newspaper reported from Belgrade that Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Engineer Walid bin Abdulkarim Al-Khereiji met Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric at the Serbian Foreign Ministry headquarters. Al-Khereiji represented Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah during the talks. The two officials reviewed bilateral relations between the Kingdom and Serbia while exploring avenues to strengthen and expand cooperation. They also addressed regional and international issues of shared concern before concluding the session with the formal signing of the visa exemption pact.
The agreement provides for mutual waiver of short-stay visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, special and service passports issued by either government, Okaz stated. This development builds directly on the framework of longstanding friendly relations between the two countries. The newspaper noted that the accord is designed to facilitate smoother official travel and closer diplomatic engagement across multiple areas of mutual interest.
Saudi Arabia and Serbia established formal diplomatic relations in 2013, with the Kingdom becoming the final Arab state to open ties with Belgrade, according to records of their bilateral history. Serbia maintains an embassy in Riyadh while Saudi Arabia operates an embassy in the Serbian capital. Trade data placed the value of bilateral commerce at $96 million in 2023, divided almost equally between Saudi exports to Serbia and Serbian exports to the Kingdom.
The pact follows a pattern of similar Saudi agreements signed in recent months with several other nations to ease visa procedures for official passport holders. Saudi Arabia and India concluded a comparable deal for diplomatic, special and official passports in December 2025, Gulf News reported at the time. An agreement with Poland covering diplomatic, service and special passports was signed in January 2026, the Saudi Press Agency announced. Saudi Arabia also reached a mutual exemption arrangement with Russia in December 2025 that extended to ordinary passports as well.
Prior to the new agreement, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website listed visa requirements for Saudi diplomatic and official passport holders entering Serbia. The updated framework removes that barrier for short-term official visits by eligible travelers from both sides. The Saudi side had similarly required visas for Serbian diplomatic passport holders before the signing took effect.
