Saudi Personal Visit Visa: How Saudis Can Obtain a Visit Visa for Friends & Acquaintances

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Updated August 2023

Saudi Arabia has opened up and is now set to welcome a massive inflow of global visitors. To cater to the entry requirements of visitors, the Kingdom has several entry visas in place to facilitate entry for various purposes. Recently, Saudi Arabia has just announced the launching of the newly established Personal Visit Visa, through which Saudi citizens can invite friends and acquaintances to visit the country. 

Here is everything we know about the Personal Visit Visa: its uses, application process, and more.

Saudi Personal Visit Visa

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced a new entry visa, the Personal Visitor Visa. This visit visa allows foreign nationals to enter the country via an invitation from their Saudi friends or acquaintances. It can be issued as both a single-entry or a multiple-entry visa.

With the Saudi Personal Visit Visa, holders may:

• freely visit the country
• travel across the Kingdom
• visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and other religious sites
• perform Umrah
• take part in cultural events 

This initiative is part of the government’s efforts to increase the number of foreign visitors in line with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030, to propel the country’s tourism scene onto the world stage. 

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How to apply for the Saudi Personal Visit Visa?

To apply for the Saudi Personal Visit Visa, Saudi citizens must:

• visit the eVisa platform of the ministry’s website at https://visa.mofa.gov.sa.
• go to the “Individual Service” section of the eVisa platform
• log in through the Nafadh unified national platform
• fill out the data of the invitees by requesting a personal visit
• approve the necessary undertakings

The request will then be processed, and a Personal Visit Visa will be issued. The data can be viewed through the “invitation request” query service. To do so, you can take the following steps:

• visiting the MoFA visa platform
• selecting the inquiry icon
• filling in the required data
• clicking the “Inquiry” icon to know the status of the previously submitted application

Further, the invitees may complete the payment for the fees and medical insurance after filling out the “entry visa application” form in the visa platform and then submitting the application and passport to the Saudi embassy or consulate in the country where the invitees reside. They may also visit the centres or offices accredited to the embassy or consulate. Invitees will then receive their passports following the issuance of the entry visa and will be allowed to enter Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Personal Visit Visa processing time

After submitting a request, it takes approximately 3 days to process your personal visit visa application. Ensure you have provided all required data and documents to expedite the application process.

Saudi Personal Visit Visa validity

The maximum duration of the validity of the single-entry personal visit visa is 90 days with a period of stay of 90 days, while the validity of the multiple reentry personal visa may extend to 365 days with a period of stay each time of 90 days.

Saudi Personal Visit Visa fee

According to the Saudi government’s official website, applicants will be charged SAR 200 (USD 53.32) to obtain a personal visit visa.

Saudi Personal Visit Visa for Umrah

Individuals from other countries who wish to engage in the religious pilgrimage of Umrah in Mecca have the option to apply for Personal Visit Visa. Those holding this visa must make arrangements for an Umrah appointment using either the Nusuk or Tawakklana Services apps before their visit to the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

For more information on Umrah 2023, please refer to our article below: