Saudi Tourism eVisa Introduced for 49 Countries

Earlier this month, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced all-new eVisa for 49 countries. Some of these countries were mentioned before but today we have the full picture. In otherwords, the news shows a big change in Saudi Arabia as the traditional visa system never focused on Tourism. Visit Visas issued in the past focused mostly on Families, Umrah, Hajj and Business. The big news is that the eVisa will be issued in 7 Minutes record time.

The Tourism Industry also added that Women Tourists won’t need any mahram or required to wear abaya under tourism visa.

Countries in the list

Minister Khateeb already announced previously that China, Japan, US, and other EU Countries were top in their list. Following from the previous new, here is the list of all the countries:

North America

CANADA
US

Europe

SWITZERLAND
IRELAND
LIECHTENSTEIN
LITHUANIA
MONACO
ANDORRA
RUSSIA
MALTA
MONTENEGRO
SAN MARINO
UKRAINE
UNITED KINGDOM
PORTUGAL
POLAND
AUSTRIA
BELGIUM
BULGARIA
ROMANIA
SLOVAKIA
CROATIA
CYPRUS
CZECH REPUBLIC
SPAIN
SWEDEN
DENMARK
ESTONIA
FINLAND
NORWAY
LUXEMBOURG
FRANCE
GERMANY
GREECE
SLOVENIA
HOLLAND
HUNGARY
ICELAND
ITALY
LATVIA

Asia

BRUNEI
JAPAN
SINGAPORE
MALAYSIA
SOUTH KOREA
KAZAKHSTAN
CHINA (HONG KONG, MACAO, TAIWAN)

Oceania

AUSTRALIA
NEW ZEALAND

However, in the online application form, it says to select the country which states all the countries including Pakistan, India, Phillippines, Bangladesh, and others. In conclusion, in the future, the visa will be open to all the other countries as well. However, people from these countries can apply through the consulate.

How to Apply for eVisa?

To apply for the visa, the application will be online or eVisa. Here is the link to apply for the visa.

https://visa.visitsaudi.com/

You will need to register by an email https://visa.visitsaudi.com/Registration/Verify. After which you will receive an email to verify your account. Once verified, you will need to click on activation code which will send you a code to verify again. The session only lasts 10 minutes so you will have to be fast.

Documents or Requirements

Firstly, the applicants will be required to provide personal information during the Saudi eVisa Application process which includes Secondly, Full Name, Address, Date of Birth, Passport Details and Travel plans. In addition, they will also fill an online form which includes information on where they were born and citizenship. Thirdly, the Online Application has a list of countries who can apply for this visa. And, if your country is not on the list, unfortunately, you can apply by going to the Saudi Embassy or Consulate in your country.

Passport Validity

The passport of the applicant must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry.

Visa Fee

Above all, the Visa fee will be around SAR 440 and it must be paid online. There is an overstay fee of 100 SAR

Visa Exemption

If you are from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and UAE, you don’t need a visa to enter Saudi Arabia but you will need to present your passport for a stamp at the airport.

Visa Validity

Lastly, the Visa will be valid for 90 days from the date of issuance and in the electronic form. The visa will be emailed after successful application completion. It is necessary to take your passport and eVisa which must be presented at the airport.

On Arrival Kiosk

In addition, eligible Countries may also apply for the visa on arrival. The Kiosks are available inside the airports to apply for the visa. “Countries with bilateral agreements can apply for the visit visa through e-visa or visa on arrival, or through the consulate visa (USA, UK, South Korea, and Japan)”