The Cost of Saudi Visas: Everything You Need to Know

Introduction

No matter what trip you have in mind, it will require a certain degree of planning, especially when it comes to the matter of expenses. From the flights, transportation, accommodation, meals, to activities, everything will need to be accounted for if you’re monitoring your spending.

The visas, in particular, are also a crucial element of the trip, especially if it’s your first time to travel to a specific country. Saudi Arabia, for one, has an e-visa program that allows many nationalities to easily apply for a visa for purposes like tourism and business.

What are the costs of Saudi visas? How much should you prepare beforehand? How can you pay for them? In this article, we take a deep dive into how much different Saudi visas cost and other relevant information.

What goes into visa fees

Before we go into detail about the cost of Saudi visas, let’s understand what goes into visa fees. What exactly are you paying for? Why are certain visas priced a certain way?

Every country will price its visas a certain way due to several factors, but there are common aspects that influence its price tag. Here’s a brief overview:

Administrative processing costs: This refers to the embassy or consulate’s expenses when it comes to processing visas. They need to consider staff wages as well as the cost of maintaining the office and equipment.

Reciprocity fees: Some countries have exceptionally high visa fees, so when it’s the turn of their citizens to apply to other countries, those countries they are visiting might “reciprocate” the high visa fees. These are called reciprocity fees, often done as a response to costly visa fees.

Visa type: Different visa types will require different processing requirements, so some visas will be more expensive than others. For example, a business visa may be more affordable than a tourist visa.

Expedited processing: Processing visas take time, and any applicant who requests for their visa application to be expedited will naturally merit an additional fee. This is a service offered by embassies and consulates.

Additional services: Embassies and consulates typically charge an extra fee for consular and notarial services, providing emergency assistance to citizens of their country, maintaining registers of their citizens traveling in the host country, organizing cultural events and educational programs, facilitating trade missions, arranging official visits between government officials, and providing legal or immigration assistance.

Government regulations: Government regulations and policies may influence the cost of visa fees. They may make adjustments to these amid diplomatic relations, economic conditions, or immigration laws.

Third-party fees: In some cases, visa applications may have to be processed by third-party suppliers such as visa facilitation services centers and travel agencies.

Understanding visa fees

Broken down, visa fees are usually made up of a visa fee, an administration fee, an insurance fee, and taxes. Here’s a guide to what they’re for:

Visa fee: The visa fee refers to the primary fee that is charged for processing a visa application. There are certain administrative costs associated with reviewing each application, conducting background checks, and deciding whether or not to issue the visa. As mentioned, this fee will vary depending on the visa being applied for, and in some cases, the applicant’s nationality as well.

Administration fee: The administration fee, meanwhile, refers to the charge for the administrative processing of the visa application. It covers costs such as running the application process, maintaining application centers or systems, and providing assistance to applicants. Similar to the visa fee, this will vary depending on which entity is processing the visas: an embassy or consulate, or a VFS center.

Insurance fee: Countries may require health insurance or travel insurance during the visa application process. An insurance fee is charged to cover the cost of insurance premiums. Note that this will vary depending on the length of travel, coverage limits, and the insurance provider.

Taxes: The government of a country will impose certain applicable taxes or surcharges on top of the visa fee. These may include service taxes or value-added taxes (VAT). The tax amount will vary depending on the country issuing the visa and the particular type of visa being applied for.

In general, fees comprising a visa fee may be lumped together or charged individually depending on a country’s visa application process and policies in place. These should be carefully reviewed by applicants so they are aware of the payments they need to be ready for.

How much Saudi visas cost

KSA Visa, Saudi Arabia’s unified platform for visa applications, groups Saudi visas into five different types, depending on the general purpose of the trip: 1) Visit, 2) Transit, 3) Work, 4) Hajj, and 5) Others. Under each subsection, applicants can choose their desired specific visa and apply for them from the website.For this article, we’ll only be focusing on visit visas, in particular.

Under the Visit visa type are five specific visas: 1) tourism, 2) family and friends, 3) medical, 4) Umrah, and 5) business visas.

These visas refer to trips with the purpose of tourism, exploring the country, cultural exploration, reuniting with family and friends, or performing Umrah, an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. The Umrah is a shorter version of the annual Hajj gathering.

The following are the respective costs of the different Saudi visit visas:

Tourist visa: $80 for the visa fee (refundable), $10.50 for the visa digital service fee (non-refundable), $10.50 for the insurance digital service fee (non-refundable), and the insurance fees

Family visit visa: $53.33

Personal visit visa: $53.33

Medical visa: $53.33

Umrah visa: $100 to $400 (While the Umrah visa fee is free, there are processing fees)

Business visa: A single-entry business visa costs around $215, while a multiple-entry Saudi business visa costs around $295.17

Paying for Saudi visas

Now that you know how much different Saudi visas cost, it’s important to know the methods you can pay for them.

Visa fees are paid in Saudi Riyals (SAR). To pay for a Saudi e-visa or a Saudi visa on arrival, you will need an international debit or credit card. VFS Tasheer centers, as well as embassies or consulates may accept cash and bank transfers as alternative modes of payment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Although there is plenty of information available online about the costs of different Saudi visas, you may still have questions about the fees involved and what they are for. Read on as we answer some of your frequently asked questions about the costs of Saudi visas.

What credit cards are accepted when paying for visa fees?

MasterCard, Visa, American Express, UnionPay and ApplePay are accepted when paying for visa fees.

How can I compute for the exchange rate of Saudi riyals to other currencies?

You can calculate the official exchange rate for the Saudi riyal by using the calculator available on the Saudi Central Bank’s website. Access it through this link.

Do Saudi visa costs vary by nationality?

Yes, the costs of Saudi visas may vary by nationality. As mentioned, some countries may have reciprocal fees to respond to the high visa fees of other countries. Others may also have various fee structures based on the state of current diplomatic relations between governments.

Are there any additional fees or charges for Saudi visas?

On top of the base or primary visa fee, travelers may need to pay additional charges such as service fees, processing fees, courier fees (if applicable), as well as biometric enrollment fees. These fees can vary depending on the VFS Tasheer center or agency handling the visa application process.

Is there an expedited processing option available for Saudi visas, and what are the associated costs?

Yes, as mentioned Saudi embassies and consulates, as well as VFS Tasheer centers or agencies may charge an expedited processing fee if requested by the visa applicant. The cost of this vary will vary depending on the requested processing time as well as the type of visa to be processed.

Are there any discounts or exemptions available for Saudi visa fees?

Certain travelers such as students, senior citizens, or people who will be attending or taking part in special events may be eligible for discounts or exemptions when it comes to Saudi visa fees. Some countries which have bilateral agreements with Saudi Arabia may grant discounts or exemptions for diplomatic or official use.

How can I find out the specific costs of a Saudi visa for my nationality and purpose of travel?

You can find the specific costs of a Saudi visa for your nationality and travel purpose by checking KSA Visa, Saudi Arabia’s unified platform for visa applications. It will prompt you to select your nationality, the purpose of your travel to Saudi Arabia, as well as if you are a US, UK, or EU citizen or permanent resident; a holder of an active US, UK, or Schengen visa; or a GCC national. If you meet these criteria, you are eligible to apply for Saudi’s electronic or e-visa, as well as its on-arrival visa.

From there, you can find your visa type on the website and check the indicated visa fees.

Conclusion

The costs of Saudi visas are associated with different components such as the cost of maintaining systems, providing salaries of staff, administrative requirements, government regulations, as well as type of visa and the state of diplomatic relations between the host country and the country the embassy represents.

A typical visa fee will be comprised of a primary visa fee, administrative fees, the cost of acquiring medical health insurance while in Saudi Arabia, as well as taxes such as surcharges or value-added tax (VAT).
With the aid of technology, eligible visa applicants can enjoy the simplified visa application process online through the Saudi e-visa program and the visa-on-arrival program. For convenience, these can be paid commonly via international debit or credit card.

Applicants must be aware of the cost of the visa they are applying for so they can prepare accordingly, especially as the price of visa fees will vary from one country to another. These are subject to change at any moment and are typically non-refundable, so they must submit the correct information when they apply for a Saudi visa.

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