A number of changes have been made to the operations of the Kingdom's embassies and consulates, to make it easier for citizens while abroad on holiday, study or business. This forms part of the directives of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz. Ambassador Muhammad Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Salloum, Undersecretary at the Foreign Ministry for Consular Affairs, said 10 temporary consulates have been opened in cities abroad, to make it easier for citizens who are far away from the headquarters of the Kingdom's embassies and consulates. He said the temporary consulates have been opened in Malaysia, Australia, the United Kingdom, Italy, Oman, Indonesia and Morocco. This is for the 2010 summer season. In addition to this, Al-Salloum said the Saudi missions abroad have set up a weekly Diwaniya (social gathering), from this summer, to enable Saudi citizens to meet with members of the missions. The foreign ministry's website called “Sada Al-Kharijiah” (Echo of the Foreign Ministry) is also available for interaction. He said arrangements have been made to hold a meeting at the beginning of July this year in Brussels to reach an agreement that legalizes the visa process for the Kingdom's citizens, and the European countries who are members of the Schengen region. Al-Salloum said the objective behind this is to reduce the requirements of the Schengen Visa, to increase its validity to five years and to give students a visa to cover the entire period of study and training. The Schengen Visa currently allows travelers on holiday or business to use one visa to visit 15 European countries. It is valid for a stay of up to 90 days in the Schengen region in a six month period. Al-Salloum called on citizens to visit the ministry's website www.mofa.gov.sa to acquaint themselves with the latest developments.
