Saudi Arabia on Thursday announced that it will be exempting Indian nationals from submitting a police clearance certificate (PCC) while applying to travel to the country. Over two million Indian citizens live in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi embassy released a statement underlining the “strong relations and strategic partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of India”, saying that it has removed the earlier visa requirement.

“The PCC will no longer be a requirement for Indian citizens to obtain a visa for travelling to Saudi Arabia,” the statement.

This decision was taken as a part of the efforts of the two countries to further strengthen their relations.

What is a PCC? Why is it required?

A police clearance certificate is a document that Indian nationals willing to go abroad for employment, residential status, or long-term visa need to apply for if required by the visa of the destination country. The document helps to detail the criminal record of the citizen.

A person applying for PCC is mandatorily required to state the period of stay in the country – in this case, Saudi Arabia.

How will the new rule change visa procedures?

Until now, Indians needed to submit a police clearance to obtain their Saudi visa.

However, tourists now have one less document to process. The new rule would make visa application processing faster and easier.