The Turkish Embassy has announced a bus service to take its citizens across King Fahad Causeway.
The service will transport registered citizens to Riyadh International Airport, starting today.
“In light of the developments taking place in Bahrain and the region, Turkish citizens wishing to travel from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia by land will be transported to Riyadh International Airport (RUH) by buses provided by our embassy,” the Turkish Embassy added, in a statement posted on social media.
“According to current regulations, our citizens are required to obtain their Saudi Arabian visas online prior to travel.
“Citizens are expected to enter their flight information from Riyadh to Türkiye into the form.
“The bus journey is expected to take approximately six to seven hours.”
Turkish citizens interested in the service must register through the form available on the embassy’s Instagram account, including the registration of all family members, children, and other individuals travelling with them.
Citizens who have registered for bus services will be notified about bus schedules and departure location via the email address provided during registration.
The form must be completed at least 24 hours before the flight. Meanwhile, other expatriates of various nationalities have been making their way on their own dime across the causeway to catch flights home from Dammam and Riyadh.
To aid them on their journeys, community WhatsApp groups have been helping share experiences around getting visas and allay concerns around crossing the border.
“I can’t have my child around this level of uncertainty,” a UK national who was living in Manama and asked not to be identified, told the GDN.
“Going back to the UK for three of us will cost us around BD1,200.”
The total cost includes an estimated BD800 for airline tickets, BD210 for transportation to Riyadh, BD120 for visas and BD50 for an overnight stay at a nearby hotel before they catch their flight today.
Travellers also advise those undertaking the trip to plan for unanticipated delays.
“We had a flat tyre in the middle of the desert and the police helped us,” the UK national added.
Other travellers have reported issues carrying medication into Saudi Arabia, and are urging others to travel with the relevant prescription to show border control officers.
To find shared accommodation in Saudi Arabia, find friends in these circumstances, arrange play dates for children, share updates and support each other. Some residents and citizens who have moved to Saudi Arabia due to the conflict have created the ‘Bahraini Keeping Safe in Saudi’ community on WhatsApp.
A number of WhatsApp groups have also been created by concerned residents and citizens to aid those staying back in these uncertain times, however, it is important to vet information on these groups against official sources.
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