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Reviewed February 2023
London, a charming city of unquestionable prosperity and abundant beauty, is a wondrous land of opportunities and everything one can dream of. London has opened up for international tourists and travellers once again, with several flights being easily available for travelling to London from Riyadh right now.
Are you now allowed to travel to London from Riyadh? Where to find the cheapest flights? What are the latest COVID rules? Read along to find out.
Riyadh to London travel guidelines
The UK has relaxed all travel relaxations as a big step back to normalcy. All travellers bound for the UK will be able to do away with the pre and post-arrival COVID testing, quarantine and face mask regulation as travel restrictions are being eased.
Can I travel to London from Riyadh?
Yes, you can. There are currently no red list restrictions in place for travel to England. Any Saudi traveller with a UK tourist visa or other kinds of travel purposes can visit the UK.
Required documents
At the airport, you’ll need to show your identity document, such as your passport, visa or national identity card. You must:
- have your identity document ready – remove it from a holder or wallet if you use one
- remove your face covering or sunglasses, if you’re wearing them
- move through passport control together if you’re in a family
Testing and quarantine requirements
Both vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers are exempt from all testing and quarantine measures. When you travel to England, you:
- do not need to complete a UK passenger locator form before you travel
- do not need to take any COVID-19 tests before you travel or after you arrive
- do not need to quarantine when you arrive
Visa requirement
If you are travelling from Saudi Arabia to the UK for tourism purposes, you must either apply for:
Since Saudi Arabia does not fall under countries eligible for visa-free services upon arrival in the UK, travellers from Riyadh to London must have a valid visa document for entry to the UK. The type of visa you need will vary according to the purpose of your entry.
Click here to check the documents and visa you would need to visit the UK, depending upon your purpose of entry.
The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme
The UK government has recently introduced the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme, which will be rolled out for all GCC nations, including Saudi Arabia, from January 2023. Under this scheme, Saudi citizens will no longer require a visa to travel to the UK from 2023; instead, they can apply for an ETA online before their scheduled travel date.
The ETA scheme has been launched for all eligible countries to facilitate smooth and easy travel access to the United Kingdom. Before the introduction of ETAs in 2023, travellers from Saudi Arabia may continue to use the Electronic Visa Waivers (EVW), which can be completed online before their departure to the UK.
Riyadh to London flights
A simple search through Wego will show you the latest flight schedules, allowing you to choose the best flight deals from across several airlines.
Book cheap flights to London from Riyadh
Saudia and British Airways are the most popular carriers for travelling between Riyadh and London. They are the only two airlines offering direct flights from Riyadh to London, with an average flight duration of 7 hours 20 minutes.
The Riyadh-London flight prices for the month of February 2023 for different airlines are as below.
- Saudi Airlines: at least one direct and two connecting flights, available all days of the week, prices starting SAR 1,777.
- British Airways: one direct and multiple flights, available all days of the week, prices starting SAR 1,268.
- Emirates: multiple flights, available all days of the week, prices starting SAR 1,656.
- Etihad: multiple flights, available all days of the week, prices starting SAR 1,192.
- RyanAir : multiple connecting flights, available all days of the week, prices starting SAR 563.
- Wizz Air: multiple connecting flights, available all days of the week, prices starting SAR 503.
Please note: All prices are accurate at the time of writing.
