🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Visa from Dubai

Riyadh and Jeddah are a short flight from Dubai and you can also drive across the border, which is why so many UAE residents plan a Saudi trip for a long weekend, a business meeting in Riyadh or Jeddah, a family visit or Umrah. AlUla and Hegra, the old town of Jeddah, Diriyah on the edge of Riyadh and the Red Sea coast are the places most people are heading for. Visa Doctor helps UAE residents with Saudi tourist, business and Umrah visit visas from our Dubai office, and the first thing we check is which route your passport and your residence visa actually give you.

Do UAE Residents Need a Saudi Visa?

Yes, unless you hold a GCC passport, but most UAE residents can get it online. Saudi Arabia lets residents of any Gulf Cooperation Council country apply for a tourist eVisa, whatever their nationality. You apply on the official KSA Visa platform, pay online and receive the visa by email. It is a one year multiple entry visa that lets you stay up to 90 days at a time.

There are two conditions for the GCC resident route. Your UAE residence visa must be valid for at least three months beyond the date you enter Saudi Arabia, and your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond that date. Medical insurance is compulsory and is bought in the same application.

Emirati citizens do not need a visa. GCC nationals can travel to Saudi Arabia at any time with their ID card or passport.

Some residents have a second option. If you hold a US, UK or Schengen tourist or business visa that you have already used, a US, UK or EU permanent residence permit, or a passport from one of the 68 eVisa countries, you can also get a visa on arrival. UK citizens can apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization instead. The table below shows which route applies to you.

Saudi Arabia Visa Key Details

• 📌 Visa Types We Help With: Saudi tourist eVisa, business visit visa, family and friends visit visa and Umrah on a visit visa
• 📌 Main Route for UAE Residents: Online tourist eVisa for GCC residents, applied for on the KSA Visa platform
• 📌 Residence Visa Rule: Valid for at least 3 months beyond your date of entry into Saudi Arabia
• 📌 Passport Rule: Valid for at least 6 months beyond your date of entry
• 📌 Validity and Stay: Multiple entry, valid 1 year, up to 90 days per stay; single entry valid 3 months, up to 90 days
• 📌 Government Fee: SAR 339.44 (about USD 90.50) for GCC residents, medical insurance extra
• 📌 Medical Insurance: Mandatory, bought during the application, price set by the insurer
• 📌 Processing Time: 1 minute to 3 business days, as stated on the KSA Visa platform
• 📌 Umrah: Allowed on the tourist visa outside the Hajj season, booked through Nusuk
• 📌 Not Allowed: Hajj, paid work and study

Which Saudi Visa Route Applies to You

Your route depends on two things, your passport and what else you hold. Start with the first row that matches you.

Fees are the official figures published by Visit Saudi and the KSA Visa platform, checked on 25 September 2026. The platform shows the final amount before you pay.

Types of Saudi Visas Available from the UAE

Tourist eVisa. The visa most UAE residents need. It covers tourism, events, visiting family and friends, and Umrah outside the Hajj season. Visit Saudi also allows short business trips on it, meaning meetings, conferences and workshops that involve no business contract and no paid work. It is issued as a one year multiple entry visa with stays of up to 90 days, or as a single entry visa valid for three months.

Business visit visa. For commercial visits such as meetings, conferences or partnership talks. The KSA Visa platform says it is available to all nationalities, that you should submit an invitation letter from the inviting company showing your relationship with it and the business purpose of the visit, and that if you apply without an invitation letter you should give details of your work in the application. The visit must not be linked to a permanent employment contract in Saudi Arabia. Umrah is allowed on it, Hajj is not.

Family and friends visit visa. A separate category on the KSA Visa platform for visiting relatives and friends who live in Saudi Arabia. GCC residents qualify for it as an eVisa on the same terms as the tourist visa, and the listed fees are the same. Visiting relatives is also allowed on the ordinary tourist eVisa.

Umrah. Any Saudi visit visa, including the tourist eVisa, allows Umrah outside the Hajj season, with the Umrah itself booked on Nusuk. The KSA Visa platform also lists a dedicated Umrah visit visa, applied for through Nusuk and authorised agents, for Muslims of all nationalities.

Visa on arrival. Not available on a UAE residence visa alone. It is for holders of a used US, UK or Schengen tourist or business visa, US, UK and EU permanent residents, and citizens of the eVisa countries.

Electronic Travel Authorization. Open to UK citizens only. The KSA Visa platform lists it at SAR 50, with 730 days validity for multiple visits and a stay duration of 180 days. It cannot be used for work or Hajj.

Transit visa. Needed only if you leave the transit area and pass through immigration. It is obtained through the embassy or while booking flights with SAUDIA or flynas.

Where UAE Residents Apply for a Saudi Visa

Online, on the KSA Visa platform. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs runs the unified platform at ksavisa.sa, and Visit Saudi sends GCC residents there to fill in the application, pay and receive the visa by email. Citizens of the eVisa countries can also use the Visit Saudi eVisa portal at visa.visitsaudi.com. The whole eVisa application is online, and under the eVisa terms your biometrics are taken by immigration when you arrive.

Through a Saudi embassy or consulate, if you cannot use the eVisa. Visit Saudi lists the documents for this route as proof of residence in the country where you live, a return ticket, proof of employment, a bank statement showing financial solvency, a flight itinerary, identification and your residence address in Saudi Arabia. Medical insurance is extra and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides whether you get a single or multiple entry visa.

Only use the official platforms. The KSA Visa platform itself warns applicants to avoid unauthorised individuals or companies, and lookalike websites add their own charges. Pay the Saudi fees only on the official portal.

Saudi Visa Requirements from Dubai

For the GCC resident eVisa, have these ready before you start:

• Passport valid for at least six months beyond your date of entry into Saudi Arabia, the same passport you will travel on.
• UAE residence visa valid for at least three months beyond your date of entry, with your Emirates ID details.
• A recent headshot photograph for the online form.
• A valid email address, because the visa and any request for more information are sent by email.
• A payment card for the visa fee and the medical insurance.
• Your travel dates and where you will stay, and enough funds to support yourself during the visit, which the eVisa terms require.

Additional Documents for Specific Categories

• Business visitors: an invitation letter from the Saudi company you are visiting, showing your relationship with it and the business purpose. Without one, give details of your job and employer in the application.
• Umrah: an Umrah booking on the Nusuk platform for your dates.
• Children under 18: a parent must apply first, and the child is then added. The KSA Visa platform says applicants under 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian.
• Family members: first degree relatives (spouse, parents and children) are added from the main applicant’s account after the main application is submitted.
• Visa on arrival or eVisa based on a US, UK or Schengen visa: that visa must be a tourist or business visa, still valid for a first visit, and carry an entry stamp from the issuing country. Digital entry stamps are not accepted.

How to Get a Saudi eVisa from Dubai (Step-by-Step)

1. Confirm your route. Check your nationality, your residence visa expiry date and any US, UK or Schengen visa you hold against the table above. If your residence visa has less than three months left after your travel date, sort that out first.

2. Fix your travel dates and purpose. Tourism, family visits and Umrah go on the tourist eVisa. A trip that needs an invitation from a Saudi company belongs on the business visit visa.

3. Create an account on the KSA Visa platform and choose the tourism visit visa as a GCC resident.

4. Fill in the application exactly as your passport reads. Name order, passport number, dates and your residence details must match your documents. The platform warns that errors affect processing time.

5. Upload your photograph and choose your medical insurance. You select an insurer during the application and its premium is added to the total.

6. Pay the fees online. The visa fee, digital services fees and insurance are paid in the same checkout.

7. Track the application and receive the eVisa by email. You can follow it with your application number. If more details are needed, you will be told by email.

8. Add family members from the same account once your own application is submitted.

9. Travel with a copy of the eVisa. Enter through any formal airport, seaport or land border. Your biometrics are captured on arrival.

Saudi Visa Fees and Medical Insurance

The Saudi visa fee is fixed by the Saudi government and paid online. These are the official figures on 25 September 2026:

• Tourist eVisa for GCC residents: SAR 339.44, about USD 90.50, per Visit Saudi, with the application fee included and medical insurance not included. The KSA Visa platform shows the same amount split as a USD 80 visa fee and a USD 10.5 visa digital services fee, and lists a separate USD 10.5 insurance digital services fee plus the insurance premium.
• Tourist eVisa or visa on arrival for citizens of the eVisa countries: SAR 395, about USD 105.32, with the application fee and medical insurance included.
• Business visit visa: USD 80 visa fee plus a USD 10.5 visa digital services fee, with insurance priced by the provider.
• Electronic Travel Authorization for UK citizens: SAR 50.

Medical insurance is mandatory. For GCC residents it is bought as part of the tourist visa application, and the price depends on the insurer you choose. Visit Saudi says the policy is valid for one year from issue, matching the validity of the tourist visa, and that you can check your policy and healthcare providers with the Council of Health Insurance.

Refunds. Visit Saudi’s FAQ and the eVisa terms say the tourist visa fee is not refunded if you cancel or if the visa is refused, and the digital services fees are marked non-refundable on the KSA Visa platform. Check your dates and eligibility before you pay.

Saudi Visa Processing Time from the UAE

The KSA Visa platform states a service time of 1 minute to 3 business days for the tourism visit visa and for the family and friends visit visa. The fastest decisions arrive within minutes, but plan for the full three business days, and longer if the platform asks you for more information.

For the business visit visa, the platform says processing usually takes 1 to 2 working days after the invitation letter, where there is one, and the application are submitted. The Electronic Travel Authorization is listed at 1 to 3 working days.

The eVisa cannot be extended once issued, and if it expires before you use it you must apply and pay again. A multiple entry eVisa is valid for one year, so frequent visitors only apply once a year.

Umrah on a Saudi Tourist Visa

Umrah is allowed on the Saudi tourist visa, and on any other visit visa, but not during the Hajj season. The KSA Visa platform defines that season as 15 Dhul Qadah to 15 Dhul Hijjah. Hajj itself needs a specific Hajj visa through the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

• Book on Nusuk. Visit Saudi reminds every visitor to book the Umrah appointment through the Nusuk platform.
• Makkah is for Muslim visitors only. Al Madinah is open to all tourists.
• Women do not need a mahram. The KSA Visa platform states that women do not require a male guardian to accompany them for Umrah.
• Under 18s must be accompanied by a legal guardian.
• You can move freely between cities, so Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah can be one trip.

For a UAE resident, the practical route to Umrah is usually the GCC resident tourist eVisa plus a Nusuk booking, rather than a separate Umrah visa.

Where Saudi Visa Applications Go Wrong

Saudi Arabia does not publish refusal statistics, but the official rules show where an application from the UAE is most likely to fail or stall:

• A residence visa too close to expiry. Less than three months left after your entry date takes you off the GCC resident route.
• A passport with less than six months left after your entry date.
• Details that do not match the passport, such as a swapped name order or a mistyped passport number. The platform warns that errors affect processing.
• The wrong route. Applying for a visa on arrival on a UAE residence visa alone, or relying on a US, UK or Schengen visa that has never been used or only has a digital entry stamp.
• The wrong purpose. The tourist visa does not cover paid work or study, and a business visit tied to an employment contract is not allowed.
• Umrah dates inside the Hajj season, or no Nusuk booking.
• Children applied for before a parent, or family members added before the main application is submitted.
• An unofficial website. Lookalike sites charge extra and may not submit the application at all.

Holding a visa also does not guarantee entry. The eVisa terms say entry stays at the discretion of the immigration officer at the border.

Why Choose Visa Doctor for Your Saudi Visa?

• We tell you if you do not need us. If you are a GCC national and need no visa, or you are comfortable completing the eVisa yourself, we will say so.
• We check your route first, against your nationality, your residence visa dates and any US, UK or Schengen visa you hold, so you do not pay for the wrong visa.
• We prepare the application details and documents with you so the form matches your passport and Emirates ID exactly, and the photograph meets the specification.
• We arrange flight and hotel reservations for visa purposes and cover letters where your application needs them, including for business visits and the embassy route.
• Dubai based and licensed. You can walk into our office, and you deal with the same people from the first question to the day you travel.
• We handle your other visas too, so a Saudi trip can be planned around an upcoming Schengen, UK or US application. See all destinations we cover and our visa services in Dubai.

We do not issue visas and nobody outside the Saudi authorities can guarantee one. What we control is that your application is complete, accurate and sent through the right official route.

Frequently Asked Questions, Saudi Visa from Dubai

Related guides

• Applying for a US Visa in Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia as a UAE Resident
• Qatar Visa from Dubai
• Visa Fees for UAE Residents in 2026
• Free Visa Tools for UAE Residents
• All Countries We Cover

Sources and official references

Checked on 25 September 2026. Rules and fees change, so confirm with the official source before you apply.

• Visit Saudi (Saudi Tourism Authority): Saudi Arabia Visa Requirements and FAQs
• KSA Visa platform, Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Tourism visit visa
• KSA Visa platform: Business visit visa
• KSA Visa platform: Family and Friends visit visa
• KSA Visa platform: Umrah visit visa
• KSA Visa platform: Electronic Travel Authorization
• Saudi eVisa portal: eligible countries and eVisa terms and conditions
• Nusuk: Umrah bookings