Saudi Arabia is the biggest country in the Middle East, spanning a total area of approximately 2,150,000 km2. It has a great necessity for many people, especially for Muslims, as it is home to the two holiest cities of Islam, Mecca and Madina. Every year millions of Muslims pilgrimage Mecca (hajj) as Muslims call to complete their holy mission. Although Saudi Arabia is defined more as a holy place for the Muslim world, it is home to pre-historic structures such as the Al-Magar site dating back to ancient cultures 9000 years old. One of the pre-Islamic archaeological findings is the monumental tombs of Mada’in Saleh, which is most favourite site as it has a unique architectural structure enough to adorn social media profiles. Reasons to visit Saudi Arabia are many. The country has deepened its business relations with other countries. We see many mega projects endorsed by Saudi Arabian government and businessmen. Too much effort goes to favour investments in Saudi Arabia. Therefore there is growing interest in doing business in Saudi Arabia. We are aware of the situation, and in this article, we are going to give details of bureaucratic procedures regarding Saudi Arabia business visa. We will look at specific steps, and also Saudi Arabia business visa requirements, Saudi Arabia business visa fees, Saudi Arabia business visa application form, Saudi Arabia business visa processing time and try to answer questions like "how to apply for Saudi business visa?", "how much is a business visa to Saudi Arabia?". To start, we will first look at the visa policy of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia visa policy
Like others, the visa policy of Saudi Arabia differs from country to country. It is regulated based on the relations Saudi Arabia has with other countries. However, we can put the countries in different groups with respect to their visa statutes for Saudi Arabia. They are visa-exempt countries, visa-required countries, and e-Visa countries.
There are only a few visa-free countries which nationals of those countries can take advantage of visiting Saudi Arabia without going through visa procedures. These countries are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and United Arab Emirates. Another group is e-Visa countries. The main difference between an e-Visa and a visa from a consul or an embassy is that most of the procedures proceed online with an e-Visa. Citizens of Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America can apply for e-Visa to Saudi Arabia. Pretty much the rest of the world countries are labelled as visa-required countries.
As for visa types, there are categories. They are short-term visas, long-term visas, e-Visas, transit visas. Requirements for e-Visa are a bit unusual for many people. The required documents for e-Visa are:
The visa application form should be completed whit respect to regulations set by the Saudi government. You should also include personal information as well.
A passport with a validity of a minimum of 6 months beyond the return date.
Upon your arrival in Saudi Arabia, you will be requested to present a copy of your e-Visa, travel itinerary with flight bookings, and accommodation.
If you are invited by a company or an organization, an invitation letter from that party is needed.
Usually, it takes 3-5 working days to acquire e-Visa, and the fee varies from 50 to 215 USD. The main advantages of the e-Visa are that it takes less time to process and fewer steps to follow.
Short-term visas are designed for short-length visits or temporary purposes, which mostly do not exceed 90 days. This category is the one that we will elaborate on as it includes a Saudi Arabia business visa. You might be wondering about Saudi Arabia business visa fees, business visa Saudi Arabia validity, Saudi Arabia business visa cost. Without further due, let’s have a look at those nuances.
Saudi Arabia business visa
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In this section, we will cover Saudi Arabia business visa fees, Saudi Arabia business visa requirements, Saudi Arabia business visa application form, Saudi Arabia business visa processing time. But before that, there is one issue that gets people confused. As we mentioned earlier, a Saudi Arabia business visa is designed for temporary business activities in the kingdom, so it is short term visa. Oftentimes people get confused between a business visa and a work visa. A business visa in Saudi Arabia only enables you to carry out activities for a limited time, while a work visa allows you to hold a position or work in Saudi Arabia for a long period. If you want to work in the kingdom, you will be subjected to a sponsorship program of the kingdom, which enables the employer to have legal authority over his/her employers.
Anyone who intends to get a Saudi Arabia business visa should present the followings:
Original passport
Anyone who plans to apply for a visa needs a valid passport. By valid, we mean to have six months of validity beyond the return date. If it is not the case for you, you will need to renew your passport. Furthermore, your passport should possess two pages that are free, not processed yet. If your passport pages are full of other visa stamps and do not have two free pages, then you will need to renew your passport as well. Your passport should be in good shape, meaning that it should not be damaged. Your passport should not have any stamp issued by Israel, meaning that if you acquired an Israeli visa before then, your application would be rejected as well.
Saudi Arabia business visa application form - Dully completed by the applicant. In the application form, you need to indicate your religion as well.
Two photos
Their size should be 2x2 cm. The photos should be coloured other than white and black, and they should not be taken more than 90 days before. Your head should be centred in photos. Your eye lines should be levelled to the camera. No facial expressions are needed. Any accessories and glasses should be taken off.
Business cover letters from the applicant’s country. In these business cover letters, the address of the company should be included. It should be signed and indicate the timeline, the purpose of the travel, etc. The applicant’s position, status in the company should be stated. In these letters, sponsors or who is responsible for financing the trip should be indicated. Addresses in Saudi Arabia should be noted in these letters as well. Letters should be notarized and be addressed to the embassy.
Business registration certificates or forms
When applying for a Saudi business visa, a copy of the Saudi sponsor company's registration form issued by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Saudi Arabia must be submitted. The copy must contain the approval stamp issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia. A copy of the company's business registration in Saudi Arabia and the applicant's country of residence is also needed.
Invitation letter
To complete your application, you will need to present an invitation letter issued by the Foreign Ministry in Saudi Arabia. This letter should be written by the sponsor company in Saudi Arabia and be addressed to the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in your country of application. In the letter, addresses, accommodation, contact details of the sponsor, etc., should be indicated.
Insurance
You will be requested to have health insurance covering the time you are going to stay in Saudi Arabia.
How to apply for Saudi business visa? How much is a business visa to Saudi Arabia? How long is business visa Saudi Arabia validity? These are the essential questions one should take into consideration before deciding to apply for a business visa. To start, there is only one way, and it is - applying to royal embassies of Saudi Arabia. You need to locate the local Royal Saudi Arabian embassy or find the nearest one if there is none in your country. Regarding the Saudi Arabia business visa cost, there are many factors that affect the prices for fees. You can be charged differently based on your application country. It is in your best interest to get specific information from the royal embassy in your own country. However, it usually ranges between 50 and 215 USD. Your application processing time can vary from 3 to 7 working days.
