“Visa by Profile” was announced at the TOURISE summit in Riyadh in November 2025 for a 2026 rollout. It would issue eligible travellers an instant electronic tourist visa using their passport and Visa card details.
What Saudi Arabia Has Announced
Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb revealed the initiative at the inaugural TOURISE summit in Riyadh on 13 November 2025, calling it the first of its kind worldwide.
He said it would let “eligible Visa cardholders instantly secure their electronic tourist visa in minutes, just by using their card and passport details,” according to Arab News.
It was built by the Saudi Tourism Authority with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Tourism, the payments network Visa, and participating banks.
How It Would Work
The concept links your Visa card profile directly to your visa application. You would enter passport and card details on the official platform, and the system would draw on Visa’s global network to verify you.
As media reports, the platform would verify “solvency and eligibility” by “analysing financial profiles through issuing banks” — effectively using your credit standing to confirm you meet entry requirements.
The approval would then be issued digitally and tied to your profile, with no embassy visit or paperwork. Reporting describes it as automating issuance through integration across government bodies, airports, banks, and credit bureaus.
Would AI Actually Decide If You Get a Visa?
Not exactly. Neither the official announcement nor major Saudi coverage describes an AI system that judges who is “worthy” of a visa.
What officials describe is automation: the planned platform would check your financial profile and credit standing through your card issuer, then issue the visa to those who qualify. The decision rests on eligibility rules, not a publicly confirmed AI gatekeeper.
In short, your existing financial profile would do much of the work — speeding up a process that today still requires travellers to use existing e-Visa channels. Whether deeper automated profiling is added later has not been officially confirmed.
What Hasn’t Been Confirmed
Several key details remain unannounced, so treat early reports with caution.
- Launch date: officials say 2026, but no firm date has been set.
- Eligibility: the full list of qualifying cards, banks, and nationalities is not published.
- Fees and validity: no official pricing or visa validity for the new route has been released.
The Saudi Tourism Authority says the system will expand gradually as more banks and card issuers join. For now, most tourists still apply through the official e-Visa portal, whether flying into Riyadh, Jeddah, or Dammam. We’ll update this article once official details are confirmed.
Sources
- Saudi Press Agency – TOURISE Announces ‘Visa by Profile’ Initiative
- Arab News – Saudi Arabia launches ‘Visa by Profile’ initiative
- Saudi Arabia Official e-Visa Portal
Disclaimer: Wego strives to ensure all information presented in this article is accurate and up to date at the time of publication. Travel policies, prices, visa requirements, and conditions can change rapidly. We strongly recommend verifying critical details with official sources before making travel decisions. Wego does not accept liability for any inaccuracies, oversights, or changes that may occur after publication.
