Saudi Arabia Visa Types: What You Need to Know

Introduction

If you’re setting your sights on traveling to the Middle East, you might want to visit the largest country in the region: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With its spectacular Umm Al-Qamari Island, majestic Qasr al-Farid-Hegra, and fascinating Winter Park – Al Ula, you’ll fall in love with its magnificent landscapes.

In 2023, Saudi topped the UN Tourism’s ranking for the increase in international tourist arrivals, a 56% spike from 2019.

But how easy or how hard is it to get a Saudi visa? Are you eligible for a Saudi visa? And what are the different types of Saudi visas?

This article shares the different kinds of Saudi visas and how you can apply for them.

Saudi Visit Visas

There are many kinds of Saudi visas, but generally, they are grouped into five different groups, depending on the general purpose of the trip: visit, transit, work, Hajj, and others.

Under the Visit Visa group, in particular, you have the following types of visas:

Tourism Visa

With a Saudi tourism visa, you can stay in the country to visit family or friends, attend tourism events and activities, and perform Umrah. Note that travelers can’t seek medical treatment or perform Hajj while under this type of visa. Also, it does not replace the Saudi work visa.

Family & friends visit visa

If you have a family & friends visit visa, you may visit friends or first-degree relatives (your spouse, parents, or children) who are Saudi residents.

Medical visa

With a medical visa, travelers can seek medical treatment in Saudi Arabia.

Business visa

With a business visa, travelers can engage in business activities such as attending business meetings, participating in trade shows or conferences, or exploring investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia.

Umrah visa

If you have an Umrah visa, you may perform Umrah, attend tourism and events, and move freely between Saudi cities.

These are the available visit visa options when you visit KSA Visa, a new unified national platform for visa applications. It serves as a comprehensive guide to the Saudi Arabia visa application process, requirements, and corresponding fees.

The Saudi E-visa

The e-visa, available through KSA Visa– is an easy and convenient way of applying for a Saudi visa as it removes the need to book an appointment, physically line up, and manually submit documents at a Saudi embassy or consulate. It also generally requires minimum requirements from applicants. Applicants can choose their desired specific visa and apply for it from the website to obtain it electronically.

Under the new e-visa system, travelers arriving in Saudi Arabia no longer need to get a visa sticker stamped on their passports. Instead, these are replaced by a printed e-visa featuring a QR code. This QR code will contain all the essential data and information about the passenger, effectively functioning as a digital visa. The e-visa can be accessed via the KSA Visa website and it will be instantly delivered via email.

However, the e-visa is only applicable to those eligible for it. Who can apply for a visit e-visa and what are the requirements? What is the process like?

For this article, we’ll focus on the different types of visit e-visas and how to apply for these. Read on to learn more.

Eligibility

As mentioned, the e-visa allows foreign nationals entry into Saudi Arabia for various purposes from tourism-related activities, reuniting with family and friends, engaging in business activities, seeking medical treatment, and Umrah.

However, not everyone is eligible for it. The following can apply for an e-visa, provided they are:

1. Citizens of the following countries:

North America: Canada, Panama, US, Saint Kitts and Nevis

Europe: Andorra, Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom,

Asia: Brunei, China (Including Hong Kong And Macau), Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Tajikistan, Turkey, Thailand, Uzbekistan

Africa: South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles

Oceania: Australia, New Zealand

2. Permanent residents in the USA, EU, or the UK

3. Holders of active visit visas (Schengen visa, USA visa, UK visa)

4. Residents in one of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates)

Note that dual citizenships from the mentioned countries also make you eligible for a Saudi e-visa or visa on arrival.

Validity

Now that we know who can apply for a visit e-visa, let’s find out how long you can use them in Saudi Arabia.

Generally, visit e-visas are valid for a total stay duration of 90 days whether you apply for a single-entry visa (valid for 90 days) or a multiple-entry visa (valid for one year).

Once you have a Saudi e-visa, you may check it through Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) website. Just visit MOFA’s Visa services platform and look for the Enquiry field, select “Visa document number, indicate your visa number, and your passport number, followed by your nationality and the image code for the Captcha. Once verified, you’ll see the status of your Saudi visa.

In case you overstay in Saudi Arabia, you will need to pay a fine of SAR 100 ($26.66) at the airport for each day you’ve extended your permitted stay in the country beyond your visa validity.

Application

Applying for a Saudi visit e-visa can be done within minutes on KSA Visa–except for the Umrah visa–which is done via Nusuk, Saudi Arabia’s holistic spiritual journey platform. You can find more information about how to apply for an Umruk visa here.

For other visit visas, here is important information about applying on KSA Visa.

Requirements

Generally, you will be asked for the following for your Saudi e-visa application:

• Passport with at least 6 months validity
• Digital passport photo with a white background (in JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, or BMP file formats; not bigger than 100 KB; and 200×200 pixels in dimension)
• Accomplished application form
• Health insurance

In some cases, you will be required to produce a letter of invitation from a sponsor such as a Saudi resident or a Saudi company, apart from proof of sufficient funds to cover your expenses while in Saudi Arabia, as well as details of your flights and accommodation.

Processing time

The processing of Saudi visa applications is efficient, simple, and straightforward. Usually, it takes 30 minutes to 48 hours to issue e-visas, 5 to 30 minutes for a visa on arrival, and 1 to 2 business days for visas issued through an embassy or consulate.

Visa fees

When broken down, the Saudi e-visa fee includes $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 (Note that the insurance fee will vary depending on your chosen medical insurance provider). You can pay via international debit or credit card.

Applying for a Saudi e-visa on behalf of children or a group

Chances are, you may be visiting Saudi Arabia with family or friends.

If applying for a Saudi tourist e-visa on behalf of children, the guardian should apply for the children’s e-visa using his/her account. Simply tick the box “apply on behalf of someone else” and indicate your name as their guardian.

Note that the child’s nationality must match that of the guardian and the guardian must have first secured his/her own tourist e-visa before he can apply for the child’s e-visa.

If you’re applying for an e-visa on behalf of a group that includes children, fill out the same guardian form and click “Save and add applicants” to add the other group members. Note that the nationality of the one applying for the group must match those of the group members.

If there are different nationalities within the group, apply via a VFS Tasheer center or a Saudi embassy/consulate.

Finding and keeping a copy of your e-visa

You won’t need to present a hard copy of your visa, because it will show up in the Saudi travel authorities’ system. But it is recommended to keep a digital copy on your mobile phone.

If you wish to print your visa and you did not receive a copy of it, visit https://visa.mofa.gov.sa/visaservices/searchvisa (from the website of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to print it from the platform.

Insurance

According to Saudi Arabia’s Council of Health Insurance (CHI), health insurance is mandatory if you are applying for a tourist visa.

Once your visa is issued, your health insurance will automatically be activated. The health insurance will cover in-patient treatment (including the cost of COVID-19 treatment) and all health emergencies by a network of approved healthcare service providers.

When making a claim, note that it is not necessary to pay a deductible or a co-payment when you visit an authorized health insurance provider such as a pharmacy, doctor’s office, or an ambulance service center.

To get a copy of your insurance policy, download it as a PDF file through the same account you used for the application.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that you have an overview of the different types of Saudi visas and how you can apply for them, we’re sure you still have some clarifications in mind. In this section, we share answers to some frequently asked questions:

If I have a Saudi tourist visa, can I visit Makkah and Al Madinah?

Note that you may only visit Makkah if you are a Muslim visitor, while Al Madinah is open to all tourists. As an alternative, you may want to check out the many sites around Makkah to learn more about Saudi Arabia’s rich culture and heritage.

Can I apply for another tourist visa?

You may not apply for another tourist visa if you are currently under a valid Saudi tourist visa. You may re-apply for a new tourist visa once the current one expires.

Is it possible to refund the visa fees after issuance?

No, it is not possible to refund the visa fees once the visa has been issued, as these are non-refundable and cannot be canceled.

Is it possible to amend my data after submitting the visa application?

You cannot make changes to a Saudi e-visa if there is a mistake in the visa holder’s declared information apart from his/her nationality or passport number. As you cannot modify an e-visa, it will need to be canceled and you will need to re-apply for a new e-visa.

If, however, the embassy issued the visa with an incorrect nationality or passport number, then a new visa with the correct nationality or passport number can be issued for a fee. It won’t be necessary to cancel or revoke the old visa.

What should I wear while I’m in Saudi Arabia?

Both men and women should dress modestly while in Saudi Arabia, otherwise they potentially face penalties. Avoid wearing tight-fitting clothes or clothes displaying profane language or images. Women should cover their shoulders and knees when in public.

Generally, wearing long, loose tops, long pants or trousers, or long skirts up to the ankle is safe. The only time you should not abide by this rule is when the situation calls for different attire, such as when swimming. Similarly, choose to wear modest swimming attire.

Conclusion

With Saudi Arabia’s e-visa system, eligible travelers can easily and conveniently apply for a Saudi visit visa. The different visit visas allow them to fulfill different travel purposes, from touring the country, visiting family and friends, engaging in business activities, seeking medical treatment, to performing Umrah.

With an exciting array of Saudi visa types, travelers can look forward to planning their next trip to Saudi Arabia. The new KSA platform also offers a swifter and more convenient way to apply for the Saudi visa of their choice.

For more information on Saudi visa types, visit the KSA website.

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