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Visa Requirements for Saudi Citizens

Discover visa requirements for citizens of Saudi Arabia to travel to every country in the world.

Visa Requirements for Citizens of Saudi Arabia

Visa requirements for Saudi Arabian citizens are administrative entry restrictions placed on citizens of Saudi Arabian nationals by the authorities of other countries.

Visa requirements for Saudi passport holders vary depending on the country of destination the traveler plans to visit, as well as the purpose and duration of the intended stay.

The Saudi Arabian passport is currently ranked the 72nd most powerful in the world on the Henley Passport Index. This is measured by the number of countries the passport holder can travel to visa-free or with a visa on arrival, which in the case of Saudi Arabia is approximately 30 and 25 countries, respectively.

Most visa-exempt countries for Saudi citizens allow Saudi Arabian nationals to enter their borders visa-free for a short stay for purposes of tourism, business, or transit. The period of permitted stay can vary between 21 days up to 1 year depending on the country of destination.

However, to stay in visa not required countries for longer periods, as well as for purposes such as to work or study, visa requirements from Saudi Arabia state that it is necessary for travelers to obtain a visa to travel to their destination.

Although travelers are not required to obtain a visa for citizens of Saudi Arabia for visa-free countries for short stays, Saudi passport holders may be required to get an electronic travel authorization online before visiting certain visa-exempt destinations.

It is necessary to obtain a visa to visit any non visa-exempt country for citizens of Saudi Arabia, whether an electronic visa through an online application, a visa on arrival, or a consular visa from an embassy of the destination. There may also some countries for which a visa for Saudi Arabians is not available.

List of Visa Countries for Saudi Passport Holders

Here you can learn about all of the visa-required countries for citizens of Saudi Arabian.

Visa requirements for Saudi citizens state that it is currently necessary for Saudi passport holders to obtain a visa in advance to travel to around 160 countries around the world, whether an embassy visa or an electronic visa through an online application.

Saudi nationals are required to obtain an embassy visa in advance before traveling to around 140 countries around the world, no matter the intended period of stay or the purpose of the visit.

Approximately 20 additional countries allow Saudi Arabian travelers to get an electronic visa through a simple online application, which eliminates the need to apply for a visa in person.

Travelers from Saudi Arabia are required to obtain the correct type of travel document depending on the intended period of stay in their destination and the reason for their visit, whether a tourist visa, student visa, business visa, work visa, or a visa to transit to a third country.

Below you will find a complete map of visa-required countries for Saudi Arabians.

Electronic Travel Visa Authorization

An Electronic Travel Visa Authorization system for Saudi citizens allows Saudi Arabian passport holders to obtain either an eVisa or an electronic visa waiver through an online application and eliminates the need to visit an embassy to apply for a travel document or to queue for a visa on arrival.

To obtain an electronic travel visa authorization for citizens of Saudi Arabia, it is normally necessary to complete a simple online form with personal and passport information, as well as to answer a few security-related questions.

Some visa-free countries for Saudi Arabian nationals require Saudi citizens to obtain an electronic visa waiver to pre-screen travelers for potential security threats, while other visa-required countries have made an online eVisa available to facilitate the application process.

Electronic travel authorizations and eVisas for Saudi passport holders may be issued as either a single or multiple entry travel document. They may permit the traveler to stay in their destination for between 28 days up to 3 months.

Those which are multiple entry are often valid for multiple years from the date of issue, meaning there is no need to apply for an electronic travel visa authorization from Saudi Arabia before every trip.

Find below a list of the main countries that Saudi Arabian nationals can visit by applying for an Electronic Travel Visa Authorization.

Visa on arrival

A visa on arrival from Saudi Arabia is a type of travel authorization that Saudi citizens are able to obtain upon arrival at border checkpoints in their country of destination.

Saudi nationals are usually required to go directly to an immigration checkpoint upon arrival in their destination country to obtain a visa on arrival for Saudi passport holders. Travelers are then required to wait in line to complete a visa on arrival application form for Saudi citizens before they can receive an approved travel authorization to enter the country.

Many countries require travelers to pay the visa on arrival fee for citizens of Saudi Arabia in cash in the local currency, as payment by debit or credit card may not be available in some visa on arrival territories.

The majority of the visa on arrivals for Saudi Arabian nationals permit a stay of between 7 days and 3 months in the territory of destination.
Some visa on arrival countries for Saudi passport holders also allow visitors to obtain an eVisa, an electronic visa, in advance. This eliminates the need to wait in queues at the border and greatly expedites the visa application process.

Below you can find a list of visa on arrival countries for Saudi citizens where travelers from Saudi Arabia can obtain a visa at border entry checkpoints.

Visa on arrival: Country list

Click on the links below to find out more about each country
  • Angola
  • Bangladesh
  • Bolivia
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Comoros
  • Gabon
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Macau
  • Mauritania
  • Mozambique
  • Pakistan
  • Palau
  • Samoa
  • Somalia
  • Timor-Leste
  • Tuvalu
  • Yemen

Embassy or Consular Visa Required

An embassy visa for Saudi Arabian passport holders is a type of travel document which must be obtained in advance from a diplomatic office of the country of destination before departure from Saudi Arabia.

An embassy visa from Saudi Arabia may be issued for a range of periods of permitted stay and purposes, including to work or study, and as either a single entry or multiple entry visa document.

It is normally necessary to make a consular appointment for a visa interview in order to apply for an embassy visa for Saudi nationals, no matter the destination.

Embassy visa requirements for Saudis usually state that it is necessary to bring a completed embassy visa application for Saudi Arabian citizens to the appointment along with a range of supporting documentation depending on the intended purpose and period of stay in the destination.

Travelers who wish to apply for an embassy visa for Saudi citizens are normally advised to do so well in advance of the intended entry date to their destination. This is because it may take up to around a month for the visa to be correctly processed. The processing time will be confirmed by the individual embassy or consulate.

Find below the list of countries where a citizen of Saudi Arabia can travel by first applying for an embassy visa.

Embassy or Consular Visa Required: Country list

Click on the links below to find out more about each country
  • Afghanistan
  • Aland Islands
  • Albania
  • Algeria
  • American Samoa
  • Andorra
  • Antarctica
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bhutan
  • Bonaire
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Brazil
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Bulgaria
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cameroon
  • Canada
  • Cayman Islands
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Chile
  • China
  • Christmas Island
  • Cocos Islands
  • Congo
  • Cook Islands
  • Costa Rica
  • Croatia
  • Cuba
  • Curacao
  • Czech Republic
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Denmark
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Eritrea
  • Estonia
  • Falkland Islands
  • Faroe Islands
  • Fiji
  • Finland
  • France
  • French Guiana
  • French Polynesia
  • Gambia
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Greenland
  • Grenada
  • Guadeloupe
  • Guam
  • Guernsey
  • Guyana
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Iraq
  • Ireland
  • Isle of Man
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Jersey
  • Kiribati
  • Latvia
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Macedonia
  • Mali
  • Malta
  • Marshall Islands
  • Martinique
  • Mayotte
  • Monaco
  • Montenegro
  • Montserrat
  • Namibia
  • Nauru
  • Netherlands
  • New Caledonia
  • Niger
  • Niue
  • Norfolk Island
  • North Korea
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Norway
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Pitcairn Islands
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Puerto Rico
  • Republic of Cyprus
  • Reunion
  • Romania
  • Saint Barthelemy
  • Saint Helena
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Martin
  • Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  • San Marino
  • Senegal
  • Serbia
  • Seychelles
  • Sint Maarten
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Solomon Islands
  • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  • Spain
  • Sudan
  • Suriname
  • Svalbard and Jan Mayen
  • Swaziland
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Thailand
  • Tokelau
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Turkmenistan
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • United States Virgin Islands
  • Uruguay
  • Vatican City
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam
  • Wallis and Futuna

Visa Not Required

An electronic travel authorization or a visa is not required for Saudi Arabian citizens to travel to a number of countries around the world for short stays.

It is possible to visit around 30 visa-free countries for Saudi nationals without a travel document for differing periods of stay. The period of visa-free stay allowed varies from between 30 days up to 1 year depending on the destination.

Visa not required countries for Saudi passport holders also include all of the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GGC) states such as Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi passport holders are able to travel to and reside in these countries without a visa for an unlimited period of stay.

Visa-exempt countries for citizens of Saudi Arabia normally permit travelers from Saudi Arabia to enter their territory visa-free for short stays for tourism, business, or to transit to an onward destination, simply by presenting a valid Saudi Passport at a border checkpoint.

To visit these same countries for other purposes or longer periods, it is normally necessary to apply for an embassy visa from Saudi Arabia from the nearest diplomatic office of the traveler’s destination.

Below you can find a full list of the main visa not required countries for Saudi citizens.

Visa Not Required: Country list

Click on the links below to find out more about each country
  • Bahrain
  • Belarus
  • Botswana
  • Dominica
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Federated States of Micronesia
  • Georgia
  • Guatemala
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • Hong Kong
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Lebanon
  • Malaysia
  • Mauritius
  • Morocco
  • Nicaragua
  • Oman
  • Palestinian Territory
  • Panama
  • Philippines
  • Qatar
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Syrian Arab Republic
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Vanuatu

Admission Refused

Below you will find a list of countries for which a visa from Saudi Arabia is unavailable. Saudi passport holders are currently unable to enter the countries listed below.

A visa may be unavailable for Saudi nationals for different reasons. In many cases, this is because of a ban against Saudi citizens from traveling to a specific territory.

The list of visa unavailable countries for Saudi citizens may change in the future, as visa requirements between counties are often continuously in flux. Saudi travelers who wish to travel to a current visa unavailable destination can periodically check this list to see if there are any developments.

Check the list below to find out which destinations do not have a visa available for Saudi passport holders.

Visa requirements checker

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