Saudi Tourist eVisa for UAE Residents: Requirements and Cost
UAE residents holding a GCC residence permit valid at least three months beyond their entry date, with a passport valid six months beyond entry, can get a Saudi tourist eVisa online. It is multiple entry, valid one year, with stays of up to 90 days, and it covers tourism, family visits and Umrah outside Hajj season. VisaWadi files it for AED 700 all inclusive, refunded if refused.
UAE residents can get a Saudi tourist eVisa without visiting an embassy, and VisaWadi files it for AED 700 all inclusive. You qualify on your residence permit, not your passport: the permit must be valid for at least three months beyond your entry date and your passport for at least six months. The multiple-entry eVisa is valid for one year with stays of up to 90 days, and it covers tourism, family visits, events and Umrah outside the Hajj season.
At a glance: the Saudi tourist eVisa for UAE residents
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Holders of a GCC residence permit valid at least three months beyond the entry date | Visit Saudi, Saudi Tourism Authority |
| Passport validity | At least six months beyond the date of entry | Visit Saudi |
| Validity and stay | Multiple entry, one year from issue, each stay capped at 90 consecutive days | Visit Saudi |
| Government visa fee | SAR 339.44 (about USD 90.50), application fee included, medical insurance charged separately by the provider. Both are covered inside VisaWadi's AED 700, so there is nothing extra to pay | Visit Saudi |
| Medical insurance | Mandatory, must be approved in the Kingdom | Ministry of Tourism regulation, Article 5 |
| Umrah | Permitted, with an appointment booked through Nusuk, but not during the Hajj season | Visit Saudi and Ministry of Tourism, Article 10 |
| VisaWadi fee | AED 700 all inclusive, refunded in full if the visa is refused | VisaWadi Saudi Arabia visa page |
What you need
- A UAE residence permit (or another GCC residence permit) valid for at least three months beyond the date you enter Saudi Arabia.
- A passport valid for at least six months beyond your entry date.
- A completed eVisa application form with the supporting documents the platform asks for.
- Medical insurance approved in Saudi Arabia for the duration of your stay (included in VisaWadi's AED 700).
- An address in Saudi Arabia to register on the application, such as your hotel or the home of the relative you are visiting.
- Payment of the visa fee (included in VisaWadi's AED 700, nothing extra to pay).
- For children under 18, a parent's approved eVisa first, because the parent has to apply before the child.
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Do UAE residents need a visa for Saudi Arabia?
Yes, if you are an expatriate living in the UAE on a residence visa. Only citizens of the six GCC states are exempt: Visit Saudi states that GCC nationals do not need a visa and can travel on their ID or passport.
Everyone else needs an entry visa, and for UAE residents the route is the tourist eVisa. If you are an Emirati, Saudi, Kuwaiti, Bahraini, Qatari or Omani citizen, stop reading here and simply travel.
The eVisa route is not tied to your nationality. An Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian or British passport holder is treated the same way, as long as the residence permit meets the validity rule.
Who is eligible for the Saudi tourist eVisa as a GCC resident?
You are eligible if your GCC residence permit is valid for at least three months beyond your entry date and your passport for at least six months. That is the requirement published by Visit Saudi, and both dates are counted from the day you land, not the day you apply.
The Ministry of Tourism's Tourist Visa Regulation sets the same three-month floor in Article 6 and extends eligibility to the permit holder's first-degree relatives travelling with them, and to domestic workers travelling with their sponsors. So a family on a Dubai residence visa can apply together, with the parent applying first for any child under 18.
The regulation refers to a list of eligible professions published on Visit Saudi, but the current Visit Saudi requirements for GCC residents mention only the residence permit and the passport. Your job title is not a filter on the application form, which is why VisaWadi's Saudi Arabia visa service is open to every profession.
How long is the Saudi eVisa valid and how long can I stay?
The multiple-entry eVisa is valid for one year from the date it is issued, and each stay is capped at 90 consecutive days, according to Visit Saudi. A single-entry version is valid for three months from issue with the same 90-day cap on the stay.
Article 3 of the Ministry of Tourism regulation adds that on a multiple-entry visa the total stay must not exceed three months across the validity period. Treat 90 days as your annual budget, not a per-trip allowance you can reset by crossing the border.
Plan Umrah, a family wedding and a weekend in Riyadh on one visa and you are still well inside that budget. What you cannot do is move to Jeddah for six months on it.
How much does the Saudi eVisa cost from the UAE?
Through VisaWadi the price is AED 700 all inclusive, with nothing else to pay. That figure covers the Saudi government fee, the mandatory medical insurance and VisaWadi's own work on the file, and it is refunded in full if the visa is refused.
For reference, Visit Saudi lists the government fee for GCC residents at SAR 339.44 (about USD 90.50) with the application fee included and medical insurance priced separately by the insurer. Both of those sit inside the AED 700, so you never pay the Saudi portal or an insurer separately.
There is no embassy fee and no visa-centre fee, because there is no embassy and no visa centre involved. Compare that with the wait for a US visa interview slot in Dubai and the eVisa starts to look very simple.
How do I apply for the Saudi tourist eVisa from the UAE?
The whole process is online. Visit Saudi directs GCC residents to the KSA Visa platform to fill in the application, pay the fee and receive the visa electronically, and with VisaWadi that filing is done for you.
Article 5 of the Ministry of Tourism regulation lists what every tourist visa applicant has to do: fill in the form with supporting documents, hold a passport valid for six months or more, obtain medical insurance approved in the Kingdom, register an address inside Saudi Arabia and pay the fee. The same article provides for biometrics to be registered either during the application or on arrival, so there is no biometrics appointment to attend in the UAE.
That is a very different experience from giving biometrics for a Canada visa at a centre in Dubai. For Saudi Arabia, VisaWadi checks your permit and passport dates, prepares and submits the file, arranges the insurance and tracks the application to a decision, and you only need to send scans of your documents and confirm your details.
Can I perform Umrah on the Saudi tourist eVisa?
Yes, outside the Hajj season. Visit Saudi confirms that any type of visa allows travellers to perform Umrah and reminds you to book your Umrah appointment through the Nusuk platform before you go.
The limits are set out in Article 10 of the Ministry of Tourism regulation: you may not perform Hajj except on a Hajj visa, and you may not perform Umrah during the Hajj season as defined by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. In 2024 the Ministry of Interior went further and restricted entry to Makkah for all visit visa holders from 23 May to 21 June, warning that violators would face penalties.
So if your trip is built around Ramadan Umrah or a family visit, the eVisa is the right tool. If you intend to perform Hajj, you need a Hajj visa through the official Hajj channels, and no tourist visa will do.
Why do Saudi eVisa applications from UAE residents get refused?
Refusals of GCC-resident eVisas are avoidable in almost every case, because the rules are mechanical. These are the causes we see most often, and each one can be fixed before you apply.
- Residence permit expiring too soon. The permit must be valid at least three months beyond your entry date, per Visit Saudi. If your Emirates ID renewal is pending, wait for the new permit before applying.
- Passport with under six months left. Both Visit Saudi and Article 5 of the Ministry of Tourism regulation require six months of validity beyond entry. Renew the passport first, then apply.
- Details that do not match. A name spelled differently on the passport and the residence permit, or a passport number that changed after renewal, invites a rejection. Bring the permit up to date with the new passport before filing.
- Applying for a child before the parent. For travellers under 18, the parent must hold an approved eVisa first, per Visit Saudi. Submit the parent's application and wait for it before the child's.
- Applying as a GCC citizen. Citizens of GCC states are visa-exempt and their applications are unnecessary. Check the passport, not the residence.
- Wrong visa for the purpose. A tourist eVisa does not permit Hajj or any paid or unpaid work. Applications that describe those purposes are refused, and travelling on the wrong visa breaches Article 10 of the regulation.
VisaWadi's document check catches every one of these before the file goes in, and if the visa is still refused you get the full AED 700 back. That is the point of paying for help with your Saudi Arabia application rather than filing blind.
What does the Saudi eVisa cost in total?
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| VisaWadi service fee | AED 700 | All inclusive: file preparation, submission and tracking, plus the government fee and medical insurance. Refunded in full if refused. |
| Saudi government visa fee | Included | Listed by Visit Saudi at SAR 339.44 (about USD 90.50) with the application fee included. Covered inside the AED 700. |
| Mandatory medical insurance | Included | Required under Article 5 of the Ministry of Tourism regulation. Covered inside the AED 700. |
| Embassy fee | AED 0 | No embassy visit. The visa is issued electronically. |
| Visa-centre fee | AED 0 | No VFS or BLS appointment and no biometrics session in the UAE. |
| Total payable | AED 700 | Nothing else to pay to VisaWadi, the Saudi portal or an insurer. |
If you are weighing Saudi Arabia against other destinations, the VisaWadi UAE visa hub lists every service and price side by side, and the FAQ answers the general document questions.
Sources
- Saudi Arabia Visa: Tourist Visa Requirements, Visit Saudi (Saudi Tourism Authority)
- Tourist Visa Regulations, Ministry of Tourism, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia Restricts Entry to Makkah During Hajj Season for Visit Visa Holders, Saudi Press Agency (Ministry of Interior statement)
Ready to apply for your Saudi tourist eVisa from the UAE?
VisaWadi checks your residence permit and passport dates, prepares and files the eVisa, arranges the mandatory medical insurance and tracks it to a decision, all for AED 700 with the government fee included and a full refund if the visa is refused. Get a free consultation on your Saudi Arabia eVisa today, or message us on WhatsApp through the contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Written by
Ammar Afridi
Co-founder, Marketing Manager and Visa Consultant
Ammar Afridi co-founded VisaWadi, a Dubai-based team that prepares visa applications for UAE residents. He has spent four years working on Schengen, UK, US and Canada files, and has handled more than 2,000 applications.
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