From September 2019, if you have a passport from any country of the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other nations of Asia, you should know that you can get the e-visa for Saudi Arabia online. In this publication I give you the details to get this for tourism online.
What is the Online Visa for Saudi Arabia?
The electronic visa for Saudi Arabia is a new system that is processed online by completing an online form, all this from the comfort of your computer at home, work, etc.
This option is given for certain countries that meet the requirements such as Spain and you can travel to Saudi Arabia for the purposes of tourism.
All communication in this process will be by email. You will receive the Saudi Arabia electronic visa to the email address that you have included in your application.
Which countries are eligible to obtain the evisa or visa on arrival from Saudi Arabia
In total there are 49 countries that can obtain an electronic visa for Saudi Arabia by computer. They can also obtain the visa on arrival when they arrive at the airports of Saudi Arabia.
North America
- The United States and Canada.
Europe
- Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Austria, Cyprus, United Kingdom, Croatia, Estonia, Andorra, Denmark, France, Finland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Lithuania, Greece, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Iceland, Malta, Poland, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovenia, Montenegro, Slovakia, Switzerland, Portugal, Sweden, San Marino, and Ukraine.
Asia
- Brunei, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Kazakhstan, and China, including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.
Oceania
- Australia, New Zealand.
Validity of the electronic visa of Saudi Arabia
- The eVisa will be valid for one year from the date of issue.
- It will be valid for multiple entries, unless otherwise indicated.
- The maximum length of stay allowed with the eVisa is three months per visit to Saudi Arabia, with no more than 180 days per year.
- The electronic visa cannot be extended.
- If the eVisa expires before entering the country, you must apply again and another application fee must be paid.
How much does e-visa online from Saudi Arabia cost
The price of requesting an electronic visa or a visa on arrival is 440 SAR (riyals), around 117 USD or 108 EUR plus taxes. You can see the exchange rate on xe.com.
It should be noted that, if the e-visa is not approved, there is no right to a refund according to the terms and conditions.
Requirements to apply for the electronic visa for Saudi Arabia
- A valid passport from one of the 49 countries mentioned with a minimum validity of 6 months from the date of arrival in Saudi Arabia.
Options to process the Visa to Saudi Arabia Online
- On the iVisa website. This is the easiest way I found. This company has a “zero frustration policy” and customer service available 24 hours a day, every day of the week. Make sure you fill out the form (available in English and other languages) and that’s it, they will be in charge of managing your electronic visa to Saudi Arabia and once it is processed, they will send it to you by email.
- On the Saudi Arabia website: You do it on your own by following the instructions all in English. If you do something wrong or forget to attach a document, you will not have a second chance and you will have to pay everything for a new application according to the terms and conditions. Therefore, be careful when filling out the steps in English.
Useful resources for your trip to Saudi Arabia
Now that there is more peace of mind with the e-visa or visa on arrival in Saudi Arabia, just use the resources below to make your trip the best possible:
Search flights to Saudi Arabia
There are two search engines that I recommend to search and book flights to Saudi Arabia: Skyscanner and Omio. The official airline of the country is Saudia with whom I flew to India via Riyadh in 2018.
Travel insurance
Always remember to travel the world with travel insurance. As a blog reader, you have a 5% discount that you can apply here.
Book accommodation in Saudi Arabia
To search for your accommodation you only need to enter this link and reserve your accommodation in Saudi Arabia.
Tour and excursions in Saudi Arabia
Here you can see and book tours and excursions in Saudi Arabia:
VPN for internet connections in Saudi Arabia
To have internet in countries with restrictions and also to use public WiFi in a secure and free way while protecting your data, I recommend you buy Express VPN to navigate in Saudi Arabia while you take care of your privacy.
