All You Need to Know About Saudi Visas: Types, Procedures, and FAQs

Introduction

Saudi Arabia. Home to the majestic Masjid al-Haram, the vibrant Al-Balad marketplace, and the breathtaking Edge of the World.

If you’ve ever dreamt of visiting these picturesque places, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is making it easier for tourists worldwide to apply for a visa.

On October 17, 2023, Saudi’s Ministry of Tourism announced that it is expanding its visitor e-visa to 63 countries. This allows travelers to visit family and friends, enjoy leisure activities, as well as perform Umrah.

Want to add Saudi Arabia to your travel bucket list? Here’s important Saudi visa information to consider for your trip.

Eligibility

As mentioned, the e-visa allows foreign nationals entry into Saudi Arabia for various purposes such as tourism, visiting family and friends, seeking medical treatment, engaging in business activities, as well as performing Umrah.

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. It can be accessed via the KSA Visa website, Saudi Arabia’s unified national platform for visa applications, and the visa will be instantly delivered via email.

In total, there are five general types of Saudi e-visa types: 1) Visit, 2) Transit, 3) Work, 4) Hajj, and 5) Others. For this article, we’ll only focus on the types of visit visas.

Now that we know what an e-visa is, let’s find out who can obtain one. The following individuals 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 visit visas (Schengen visa, USA visa, UK visa)

4. Residents in one of the GCC countries

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

Validity

Under a Saudi visit e-visa, visitors may stay for a total of 90 days in Saudi Arabia. They may apply for either a single-entry visa (valid for 90 days or 3 months) or a multiple-entry visa (valid for 365 days or 1 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

Travelers can apply for a Saudi e-visa via KSA Visa. It acts as a comprehensive guide to the Saudi Arabia visa application process, requirements, and corresponding fees. The website uses a smart search engine to help users identify available visas, as well as a centralized system that provides details on visa requirements and application procedures.

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)

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 on behalf of children or a group

Chances are, you may be touring 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 a transit e-visa on behalf of a group, click “Save and add applicants” to add the other group members. If there are children in the group, just fill out the same guardian form. 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 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 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

Which countries are visa-free to Saudi Arabia?

The following are the GCC countries that don’t require a visa for their citizens to travel to Saudi Arabia. They only need to present their national ID upon entry to the country.

• Bahrain
• Kuwait
• Oman
• Qatar
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE)

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.

What if my visa application was rejected? What should I do?

If your e-visa application was rejected, you may try applying for a standard visa via a VFS Tasheer or a Saudi embassy/consulate.

If my visa application is rejected, can I get a refund?

No, you are not entitled to a refund if your visa application is rejected, as the amount you’ve paid for the visa fee is non-refundable.

What is the most common reason for a Saudi visa to be rejected?

One of the common reasons for a Saudi e-visa to be rejected is if the information indicated is inaccurate or incomplete. Make sure to complete all fields in the application form as completely and as accurately as possible.

My current visa application status reads “pending with applicant”. What does this mean?

If your current visa application status indicates that it is pending with you, it means that there is insufficient information or there might be a problem with your passport photo.

Do I need health insurance so I can apply for a Saudi tourist visa?

Yes, health insurance is mandatory to apply for a Saudi tourist visa. Once you pay for your visa fees, it will already include the fee for the health insurance. Note that the insurance coverage covers you for up to SAR 100,000 ($26,663.40).

Can you edit your e-visa data if you made a mistake in your personal information?

It depends on the information with which you’ve made an error. If you made a mistake with your indicated nationality or passport number, you may modify the application information.

But if you made a mistake with your information apart from your nationality or passport number, you will need to cancel the application and apply for a new one.

I made a mistake in my personal information. While it doesn’t show on the visa, it does appear in the insurance policy. What should I do?

If you made an error in your passport details (your gender, passport expiry date, or date of birth), you will need to cancel the visa and apply for a new one with the correct information.

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

Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s most beautiful countries to visit, whether for tourism, leisure, reuniting with family and friends, or taking part in the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimages.

As it opens its doors wider for the rest of the world, it has expanded its visitor e-visa to 63 countries.

The processing of Saudi visas is fairly swift and efficient. They can take as short as 30 minutes to as long as three weeks, depending on where the application was submitted.

To learn more about the different visas and how to apply for them, visit the KSA website.

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