Entry
There are buses between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Turkey. There is also a car ferry which links Jeddah to Suez, as well as passenger-only services from Jeddah to Port Sudan and Musawwa (in Eritrea). There is no departure tax. Of course all major arab air carriers offer flights to Jeddah as well as special charter flight services during Hajj and Umrah periods.
Immigration
Passports valid for at least six months and visas are required for entry. Visas are issued for business and work, to visit close relatives, and for transit and religious visits. Visas for tourism are issued only for approved tour groups following organized itineraries. Airport and seaport visas are not available. All visas require a sponsor, and must be obtained prior to arrival. Women visitors are required to be met by their sponsor upon arrival.
Customs
Saudi customs authorities enforce strict regulations concerning importation into Saudi Arabia of such banned items as alcohol products, weapons and any item that is held to be contrary to the tenets of Islam. This includes non-Islamic religious materials, pork products, and pornography.
Saudi customs and postal officials broadly define what is contrary to Islam, and therefore prohibited. Christmas decorations, fashion magazines, and "suggestive" videos may be confiscated and the owner subject to penalties and fines. It is advisable to contact the Embassy of Saudi Arabia or one of Saudi Arabia's consulates for specific information regarding customs requirements.
Currency
The currency is called Saudi Arabian Riyal (SR) = 100 halala; 5 halala = 20 qurush. Notes are in denominations of SR500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1. Coins are in denominations of 100, 50, 25, 10, and 5 halala, and 10, 5, 2 and 1 qurush. Most foreign currencies can be exchanged at commercial banks and money-changers, which stay open longer. MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Visa are all widely accepted. Travellers’ cheques are widely accepted although they can be hard to change. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in Saudi Riyal, Euros, US Dollars or Pounds Sterling and to carry the purchase receipt.
Climate
Saudi Arabia's deserts have extreme climates. From mid-April to mid-October, daytime temperatures is around 45°C (113°F) or higher throughout the country. In the dead of winter (December to January) things cool down in the cities: it's only around 15°C (59°F) during the day, and can be colder in the central deserts overnight. In the coastal areas it rains regularly, with high humidity in the summer, but there's very little rainfall in the capital Riyadh.
Dress
Tropical or lightweight clothing. Shorts are prohibited in Saudi Arabia. Women are required to wear head scarfs.
Language
The official language is Arabic. English is spoken in business circles.
Special Events
Saudi Arabia's only holidays are Islamic. The most important of these holidays is Ramadan, a month when everyone fasts between sunrise and sunset to conform to the fourth pillar of Islam. Fasting during Ramadan is mandatory. There are strict laws against smoking, drinking or eating in public during this period. Ramadan ends with a feast, Id-ul-fitr and is concluded with prayers, celebration with friends and relitives and the exchange of gifts. Eid al-Adah, held around March, is the other big feast of the year, and marks the time when people of the Islamic faith make the pilgrimage to Makkah. The only non-religious festival is the Jinadriyah National Festival of folklore and culture, held every February.
Umrah Visas
Where do I go to get an Umrah visa?
- Contact your nearest Saudi Consulate to get a visa application form. Complete it carefully and return it to the Consulate.
What do I need for an Umrah visa?
You will need the following:
- A completed original Umrah visa application form. The statement written at the end of the application form must be carefully read and signed. (To obtain a visa application form by post, send a large, self-addressed envelope to your nearest Saudi Consulate.)
- If someone has a non-Muslim name, he or she should submit a certificate from a mosque or an Islamic center stating that the applicant is a Muslim.
- One recent passport size color photograph with a white background should be attached to the application form. The photograph must be a full-face view in which the visa applicant is facing the camera directly. Side or angled views are NOT accepted.
- Passports should be valid for at least 6 months from the date of submission of the application form.
- Confirmed and non-refundable airline ticket. Departure from Saudi Arabia should be within two weeks from the date of entry.
- Women and children should be accompanied by husband/father or a male relative (Mahram). Proof of relationship is required (a marriage certificate for a wife, a birth certificate for a child indicating the names of both parents). The Mahram must travel into and out of Saudi Arabia on the same flight as his wife and children.
- If a woman is 45 years old or older, she is allowed to go without a Mahram if she travels with an organized group or family and submits a notarized No Objection Certificate from her Mahram.
- If the applicant is not a national of the country he/she is applying from, a valid residency permit must be submitted with the application.
- A vaccination certificate against Meningococcal Meningitis should be attached. The certificate of vaccinations should have been issued not more than three years and not less than 10 days prior to entry to Saudi Arabia and it should be valid for three years. The vaccination certificate must be with the applicant on entry to Saudi Arabia.
- Umrah visa is valid for 30 days only. This does not mean that you can stay in Saudi Arabia for 30 days. Within these 30 days you should perform Umrah, making sure your departure from Saudi Arabia is within two weeks of the date of entry.
- The visa for Umrah in Ramadan cannot exceed the last day of Ramadan. You should leave Saudi Arabia by the end of Ramadan and cannot have Eid-ul-Fitr there.
Do I have to pay for these visas? If yes, how much do they cost?
- The Umrah and Hajj visas are free but you will still have to pay for services you get in Saudi Arabia.
Hajj Visas
Where do I go to get a Hajj visa?
- The application form is available from your nearest Saudi Consulate. But it is advisable to appoint a licensed travel agent, who will arrange a visa, as well as your travel and accommodation and anything else you may need to perform the Hajj. The travel agent will send your application form to the Saudi Consulate.
What do I need for a Hajj visa?
You must comply with all the following requirements:
- The applicant must have a passport valid for at least six more months and acceptable both for entry to Saudi Arabia and entry to the next destination; the passport should have at least two empty visa pages adjacent to each other.
- Each applicant must submit one recent passport size color photograph with a white background. The photograph must be a full-face view in which the visa applicant is facing the camera directly. Side or angled views are NOT accepted. (Some travel agents require two color photos, one for the visa application and the other for the group identification card).
- The applicant must submit a completed application form filled in with black ink pen or printed; the form must be signed and stamped by the authorized travel agency.
- The Mahram should write on the application forms complete information on his spouse and children or any relative with whom he is traveling. He should also provide copies of marriage or birth certificates.
- Women are required to travel for Hajj with a Mahram. Proof of kinship must be submitted with the application form. Any woman over the age of 45 may travel without a Mahram with an organized group, provided she submits a letter of no objection from her Mahram authorizing her to travel for Hajj with the named group. This letter should be notarized.
- The applicant must be in possession of a non-refundable roundtrip ticket with confirmed reservations.
- The applicant must submit proof of vaccination for meningitis and ACYW135. For infants and children up to 15 years of age, a vaccination report is required for polio as well as meningitis. Children over 15 years of age should present the same vaccinations requested for adults. The certificate of vaccination should have been issued not more than three years and not less than 10 days prior to entering Saudi Arabia.
- Each pilgrim should submit two certified checks or cashier checks payable to 'Unified Agents Office' in Jeddah for pilgrimage services (guides, Zamzam water agents, tent accommodation in Mina and Arafat and transportation costs). These checks should include the name and the passport number of the pilgrim and date and place of issue. Each applicant must pay the appropriate fees. Pilgrims have the option to submit one check combining both fees. Children between the ages of seven and fifteen should only pay half of the amount. Children under the age of seven do not need to pay. Please check with the Saudi Consulate in your country for correct charges.
- Applicants who are not nationals of the country they are applying from should submit documented proof of legal residence status. Passport authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reserve the right to return (at his or her own expense) any pilgrim who has provided wrong or false information about their residence.
- No applicant under the legal age of eighteen will be granted a Hajj visa if not accompanied by his family.
- If the applicant has converted to Islam, an Islamic certificate must be presented which must be notarized by an Islamic Center.
Can children accompany me on Hajj?
- Children can accompany their parents. When applying for a visa, you should include their names in your passport and attach their birth certificates. Children and women under 45 should be accompanied by a Mahram (a male relative).
Do I have to pay for the Hajj visas? If yes, how much does it cost?
- The Umrah and Hajj visas are free.
- For Hajj you need to pay two checks to cover the cost of guides, Zamzam water agents, tent accommodation in Mina and Arafat and transportation costs. Please ask your nearest Saudi Consulate about the current level of these charges.
