🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia — Visa Documents for Indians

Step 1 of 5

Which of the three routes you are on

The Saudi eVisa portal publishes the list of nationalities it will accept, and India is not on it. The portal is run by the Ministry of Tourism and prints the list twice — once on its home page and once inside its Terms and Conditions, the document you agree to when you apply. Both lists run to 66 countries. India is on neither. This matters because the portal is what most search results, and until today this page, point an Indian traveller at.

• The home page says the eVisa is for "international visitors from 66 eligible countries" and lists them by continent. India is not among them.
• Clause 3.3 of the Terms lists the same thing as "Permitted Country" — again 66, again without India.
• The two lists are not identical to each other: the home page names Belgium and not Brazil, the Terms name Brazil and not Belgium. Neither difference helps an Indian applicant, but it is worth knowing the portal contradicts itself.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sets out three ways to get a visit visa, and which one you are on depends on what is already in your passport rather than on where you are from.

• The eVisa, issued online in minutes, if you are a citizen of an eligible country — or if you hold a Schengen, US or UK visit visa, or permanent residence in the US, EU or UK, or residence in a GCC country. Any one of those four is enough on its own.
• A service centre or the Saudi embassy, where none of that applies. This is the ordinary Indian route, and note the order the ministry gives it in: you apply on the KSA Visa platform first, and then go to the mission. It is not a paper application you start at a counter.
• A visa on arrival, for the same people route one covers — Schengen, US or UK visit visa holders and permanent residents of the US, EU or UK.
• The ministry says service centres exist "in certain countries" and does not publish which. We could not find a list, so we are not naming one.

Source: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Step 2 of 5

What the trip is for — and where that changes the list

Saudi Arabia lists Tourism, Family and Friends, and Medical as three separate visit visas — and publishes the same eligibility, the same requirements, the same steps and the same answers for all three, word for word. So if you are visiting family, you are not on a stricter list than a tourist, and you do not need an invitation letter. Only business and Umrah add anything.

Umrah is the one Saudi route no nationality is shut out of: the ministry says the visit visa for Umrah is available to Muslims of all nationalities. It is applied for through Nusuk rather than the visa platform, and the tourism visa also allows Umrah — so there are two ways in and only one of them is nationality-blind.

• Women do not need a mahram. The ministry states it twice — once in the requirements and once in its own FAQ — which is worth knowing because it is the point most often got wrong.
• You must register with Nusuk Umrah. That is a requirement, not a suggestion, and regular Umrah goes through Nusuk and authorised agents.
• Under 18s need a guardian with them. Everyone else must be 18 or over.
• Umrah is available all year except during the Hajj season, which the ministry gives as the 15th of Dhul Qa’dah to the 15th of Dhul Hijjah. Hajj cannot be performed on this visa.

The business visit visa is the only purpose that adds a document, and it is open to all nationalities.

• An invitation letter showing your relationship with the inviting company and the commercial purpose of the visit. It has no stated expiry, but the ministry says it should be recent.
• If you do not have one, the ministry says to put your business details into the application instead — so a missing letter is not a dead end. The embassy may still ask the person invited for the passport and the letter.
• The visit must not be tied to a permanent employment contract inside the Kingdom. A business visa is not a way into a job.

Three things a visit visa is not, all of them stated by the authority rather than inferred.

• Not work. The eVisa terms say it "is not considered a visa for work" and that you must not take up paid employment. A Saudi work visa is a different visa, applied for by the employer.
• Not study. The eVisa portal excludes studying by name.
• Not Hajj. Every visit visa page says travellers are not authorised to perform Hajj on it, and Hajj is a separate visa — but not one an Indian pilgrim gets through the Nusuk Hajj platform, which does not serve India. See the note below. The Electronic Travel Authorization, which sits in the same catalogue and looks like the simplest route, is for citizens of the United Kingdom only.

Going for a job? Read the Saudi work visa guide — documents, agent fees, the medical and your rights →

Hajj is not on this page, and it is worth saying why. Hajj has its own visa, applied for through Nusuk Hajj, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah platform — and Nusuk Hajj publishes the countries it serves, which does not include India. Its entire Asian list is East Timor, Hong Kong, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea and Taiwan. India has its own bilateral Hajj arrangement, run from India, and it is a different process from applying for a visa. We have not researched it, so we are not going to describe it — but if you have been told to register on Nusuk Hajj from India, check that before you pay anyone.

Source: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Step 3 of 5

What the ministry actually asks for

Everyone brings these

• A passport valid at least 6 months from the date you enter Saudi Arabia
• A headshot photograph — Saudi Arabia asks for one and publishes no size, background or pixel specification for it
• Enough money for the stay, covering accommodation, food and transport — listed as a requirement, with nothing said about what proves it

The whole of what the ministry lists under "Service requirements", on the tourism, family and medical pages alike: be 18 or over unless a legal guardian is with you, carry a passport with at least 6 months left, have enough money for the stay, and follow Saudi law while you are there. It does not ask for a hotel booking, a return ticket, bank statements, an income proof or a letter from your employer.

The rest of the list depends on your situation. Pick yours to shorten it — or read all of them.

Build these files with the checklist above

Source: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Step 4 of 5

What it costs, and where you hand it in

One published price, in dollars, and it is not all one fee. The visa fee itself is refundable; the two digital service fees are not, and the insurance is charged separately at whatever the provider you pick costs. A decision usually takes between a minute and 3 business days, and a visa cannot be extended once issued.

If you are on the embassy route, this is where it ends — and it is fair to warn you that the mission publishes nothing about visas. The Royal Embassy in New Delhi and the Consulate General in Mumbai have websites with an About page, an Ambassador page, an Outreach page, a Contact page and a Services page that links to four national platforms. There is no document checklist, no fee schedule, no appointment process, and nothing saying which states Delhi covers and which Mumbai does. We checked the mission’s own sitemap: those are all the pages there are. So complete the application on the platform, and telephone before you travel to a counter.

There is a fourth route worth knowing about even though we cannot tell you whether it is open to you: the Package Visa. Buy a travel package from an agent approved by the Ministry of Tourism, with confirmed flights and confirmed accommodation in it, and the tourism visa comes with the package — issued within 48 hours of the purchase completing, valid 3 months from your scheduled departure, single entry, and unchangeable once issued. The catch is that the platform says only "citizens of selected countries" and does not publish which, so ask the agent before you pay.

Source: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Step 5 of 5

At the border

Four things the terms say plainly about what a granted visa does and does not buy you.

• Holding the visa does not guarantee entry. The decision at the border belongs to the immigration officer.
• Once submitted, an application cannot be cancelled and the fee is not refunded — including if it is refused. You can reapply at any time.
• Arrive on the same passport you applied with, and carry a copy of the visa at your first arrival.
• Your biometrics are taken by the immigration authorities on arrival. That is not optional and it is not done in India.

Three conditions the authority attaches to a visit visa, published on its own visa pages.

• Non-Muslims may not enter the Holy Mosque and its premises in Makkah, or the Prophet’s Mosque and its premises in Madinah. You acknowledge this when you apply.
• During the Hajj season, visit visa holders are barred from entering or staying in Makkah, and entry to the country is only through specific designated ports. The terms give the last window as 1 Dhul-Qi’dah to 15 Dhul-Hijjah 1446 AH, so check the current dates before you book.
• Otherwise you can move freely between cities in Saudi Arabia, on any of the visit visas.

Source: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs