Saudi Arabia, or officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the home of one of the largest annual religious gatherings in the world. Being the world’s largest exporter of oil, the petroleum industry accounts for about 45 percent of Saudi’s GDP. However, to enter Saudi Arabia, you will need a Saudi visa.
A Saudi Arabian visa is a mandatory endorsement you require, to enter the country. Unless you belong to the list of visa-exempt countries for Saudi Arabia, you require a valid visa along with your passport. Whatever the purpose of the visit, the visa is essential. The visas are categorized into various types based on the nature of the visit, and the duration and number of entries of the visa depend on them.
The process of getting a Saudi visa for Indians is fairly straightforward. Based on the type of visa required, there are different processes. For visa application information on Saudi Arabia, the general steps are as below -
The Saudi government is extremely strict regarding the visa applications, and as a result, you have to complete the process accurately and genuinely. Any mistakes may cause in your visa rejection or delay. A rejected visa is not something you would want in your history as this may cause a lot of problems in the future visa applications.
There are several types of visa which permits you to visit Saudi Arabia. However, the main common types are -
Note: Indian nationals are not eligible to apply for the tourist visa as of now. The only mode of tourism allowed for Indians is religious tourism. However, the ministry is gearing up to introduce the Saudi tourist visa for Indians in the near future.
Although the exact documentation required to vary depending on the type of permit, the general set of documents required for Saudi Arabia visa all types are as follows -
As per the Saudi visa information, these are the set of regulations for the photo -
The fees for the Saudi visa depends on the type of visa, and the country you are applying from. It also depends on the visa duration. The Saudi visa fees, however, has to be paid online and not in cash at the embassy.
Entry | Purpose | Stay Duration | Validity | Fees |
---|---|---|---|---|
Entry Tourist Visa - Normal | Tourist | 30 days | 3 months | 16500.0 |
Single entry Normal | Work | 90 days | 3 months | 18000.0 |
Single entry Normal | Business | 90 days | 3 months | 16000.0 |
visit Single entry Normal | Tourist | 90 days | 3 months | 16000.0 |
The applications for the Saudi Arabia visa for Indian nationals have to be made directly at the embassy, except in the case of Hajj/Umrah visa which requires designated Hajj agencies. For all other Saudi visas, the applications have to be filled online, and the documents along with the application form and documents. The applications can be submitted to either the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in New Delhi or at the Royal Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Mumbai by a registered agent. Saudi embassy insists that you submit the application via an agency.
The Saudi visa is generally processed fast. For a good application, it can be processed in about 4-5 days. However, in cases which involve other factors or complications, these can take longer up to 3 weeks.
Saudi Arabia does not issue a tourist visa due to several reasons. One of them is the fact that the country follows Islamic culture and laws. As a result, opening the country to people from all over the world could tarnish that. Another reason being that the nation has never needed the income from tourism. The petroleum industry alone is enough to put the country amongst the top GDP nations in the world. Apart from this, due to several safety reasons, they do not issue a Saudi Tourist visa.
Yes, Saudi Arabia has announced earlier in 2019 that they will be releasing the full-fledged tourist visa soon. Previously, in 2016, the government of Saudi had announced this plan. Towards the last few months of 2018, Saudi did issue a visitor visa for the F1E Grand Prix. This was the first time the nation issued a tourism-related visa other than that for Hajj/Umrah. Saudi also released a visitor visa for the Jeddah festival set in July 2019.
Yes, you will need a medical test if you are applying for one of the resident visas. However, for short term visas like the business visa, family visit visa, etc, you do not require medical screening. For the residence permit, you will need to get checked for Hepatitis A/B, HIV Aids, syphilis, blood count, etc.