Visa policy of Saudi Arabia

Visitors to Saudi Arabia must obtain a visa in advance unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries. Saudi Arabia does not currently issue tourist visas.

All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.[1]

Visa policy map

Visa policy of Saudi Arabia
  Saudi Arabia
  Visa-free
  Admission refused
  Visa required

Visa exemption

Citizens of the following 4 countries do not require a visa to visit Saudi Arabia and may use national ID Cards to enter the country:[2]

Visa exemption also applies to holders of diplomatic and official passports of France.

Admission refusal

Following the severance of diplomatic ties on 5 June 2017, citizens of  Qatar are refused admission. Qatari citizens were given fourteen days to leave the country. Previously, citizens of the country didn't require a visa to visit Saudi Arabia.[3][4]

Citizens of  Israel are refused admission and transit while visitors holding passports containing any Israeli visa or stamp may be refused entry.

Hajj visas

A special visa category exists for pilgrims coming to Saudi Arabia on the Hajj. Applications are encouraged to be done via licensed travel agents and are being accepted between Mid-Shawwal and 25th Dhual-Qa'dah.[5]

Muslim female passengers arriving to perform Umrah[6] or Hajj must either be accompanied by an immediate male family member such as a father, brother, husband, or son, who must be aged 18 years or older; or be over 45 years of age and travelling within a group of female passengers of the same age, who are accompanied by a group leader until their departure.

Reform plans

In December 2013 Saudi Arabia announced its intention to begin issuing tourist visas for the first time in its history. Council of Ministers entrusted the Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquities with visa issuing on the basis of certain regulations approved by the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs.[7] A limited tourist visa programme was cancelled in March 2014.[8] In December 2014 the Saudi Arabian authorities reiterated that tourist visas will not be reintroduced. However, in April 2016, former Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef announced that plans to start issuing tourist visas as part of Vision 2030, which aims to diversify Saudi economy and leading it away from an oil dependent economy. Saudi Arabia has welcomed Uber and Six Flags parks in its initial steps towards amplifying the tourism sector.[9] In November 2017 it was announced that Saudi Arabia would begin issuing tourist visas and online application in 2018.[10]

In January 2018 it was announced that the following nationalities will be eligible for electronic tourist visas:[11]

Women under 30 will have to be accompanied and foreign non-muslim visitors will not be allowed to travel to the City of Mecca and the City Centre of Medina.

Full rules were expected to be published by the end of March 2018.[12] In March 2018 the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage announced that the bylaws were ready for adoption and that they would be published by the end of the first quarter of 2018.[13][14]

On September 25, 2018, the General Sports Authority announced the "Sharek International Events Visa" (SIEV), an electronic visa issued concurrently with the purchase of a ticket for qualifying special sporting events, concerts or cultural festivals through sharek.sa.[15][16] The "sharek" visa allows visitors to enter Saudi Arabia in order to attend the event and its validity ranges from a few days before and after the event itself. Applicants will be able to obtain single-entry, 30-day visas online for 640 riyals ($170.65) and enter from any port of entry.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Visas for Saudi Arabia
  2. ↑ "Country information (visa section)". Timatic. International Air Transport Association (IATA) through Olympic Air. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-uae-bahrain-egypt-cut-ties-with-qatar-over-terrorism-1.2038481
  5. ↑ "Hajj Visa". www.saudia.com. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  6. ↑ Gannon, Martin Joseph; Baxter, Ian W. F.; Collinson, Elaine; Curran, Ross; Farrington, Thomas; Glasgow, Steven; Godsman, Elliot M.; Gori, Keith; Jack, Gordon R. A. (2017-06-11). "Travelling for Umrah: destination attributes, destination image, and post-travel intentions". The Service Industries Journal. 37 (7–8): 448–465. doi:10.1080/02642069.2017.1333601. ISSN 0264-2069.
  7. ↑ Tourist visas to be introduced
  8. ↑ Saudi suspends tourist visa scheme
  9. ↑ No tourist visas for foreigners
  10. ↑ Saudi Arabia to introduce tourist visas and online application in 2018
  11. ↑ Saudi to issue electronic tourist visas for some foreign citizens in coming weeks
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ SCTH: Bylaws for tourist visas complete
  14. ↑ SCTH: Tourist visa details and regulations will be announced soon
  15. ↑ "General Sports Authority on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  16. ↑ Editorial, Reuters. "Saudi Arabia to offer visitor visa for special events from December". U.S. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
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