Saudi Arabia amends nationality law; Here's what has changed

RIYADH - Authorities in Saudi Arabia have announced a major change in the nationality law which will change the manner in which citizenship is granted to foreigners.

As per the official change published in the gazette, some individuals will be able to secure citizenship on the directives of Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

The proposal was floated by the Minister of Interior and was confirmed by the official Twitter account of the Emirate of Mecca Province.

https://twitter.com/makkahregion/status/1636706569017597953

Article Eight of the Saudi Nationality Law has undergone a change to allow the ambitious Crown Prince grant citizenship to the foreigners who are now observing the Muslim state closely as it undergoes major changes under the leadership of the Crown Prince.

Previously Minister of Interior used to issue necessary decisions to grant nationality to the aspirants, however, the Crown Prince can now grant citizenship in a move seen by observers to attract international talent and experts on various fields. 

The Saudi Crown Prince has been making efforts to move the kingdom away from oil-dependent revenue stream and is focusing more on travel, tourism, art, culture and entertainment to help the oil rich state earn income from non-oil sources.

Saudi Arabia hosts two of Islam's holiest sites and welcomes millions of pilgrims each year. The kingdom has opened up fully to the outside world as it is set to welcome 2.3 million pilgrims for Hajj scheduled to be held in June this year.

International observers now see Saudi Arabia exercising more liberal policies for the outside world including making it easier for people to travel to the country and perform religious rituals. The kingdom has also announced major changes for its two digital portals, Nusuk and Absher which are used by pilgrims during Hajj and Umra.

Nonetheless, the Crown Prince or Prime Minister's authority to grant citizenship to foreigners confirm that Mohammed bin Salman would be amongst the most powerful Arab leaders in years to come on the global level.