Saudi Arabia Visit Visa Guides

Saudi Arabia now welcomes leisure visitors as well as pilgrims, and many travellers from Pakistan and India combine sightseeing with Umrah. The key fact is that eligibility for the online tourist eVisa depends on nationality. Under the Ministry of Tourism's regulations, the list of eligible countries is published on Visit Saudi, so the official portal, not an agent's screenshot, decides which route is open to you.

The official routes work like this. The first is the tourist eVisa on visa.visitsaudi.com, used when your nationality or an exemption category qualifies. The second is Visit Saudi's Package Visa campaign, which bundles flights, licensed accommodation and a tourist visa through participating partners. The third is an application through a Saudi mission or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with appointments and biometrics handled by Tasheer, also known as VFS Tasheer.

For Indian passport holders, the regulations open the eVisa through specific exemptions: a valid US, UK or Schengen tourist or business visa that has already been used to enter the issuing country; permanent residence in the US, the EU or the UK; a qualifying GCC residence in a listed profession; or a Ministry-approved tour package. Otherwise, Indians apply through the Royal Embassy in New Delhi or the Consulate General in Mumbai. For Pakistani passport holders, eligibility is a live question to run on the portal; when no eVisa is offered, the Package Visa or the MOFA route with a Tasheer appointment in your city is the usual path.

Prepare a passport with ample validity, a photo to the portal's specification, medical insurance approved in the Kingdom and a registered address such as your hotel or host. The embassy route also asks for a return ticket and itinerary, an accommodation booking, an employee identification certificate and a bank statement or salary certificate. Families using an exemption should carry proof of first-degree relationship.

The tourist visa covers tourism, including Umrah outside the Hajj season, but not Hajj itself and not any kind of work. Frequent mistakes include relying on an unused US, UK or Schengen visa, planning Hajj on a tourist visa, travelling on a passport close to expiry, and copying an Indian checklist into a Pakistani application. Fees, stay length and processing times are shown only at the official checkout or in mission instructions, and Saudi authorities do not publish approval rates.

Guides on this site: our Saudi tourist visa guide for Pakistani passport holders at /saudi-arabia/pakistan explains the eVisa check, the Package Visa and the MOFA and Tasheer path, while our Saudi visit visa guide for Indian passport holders at /saudi-arabia/india sets out each exemption category and the embassy route through VFS Tasheer.

Can I perform Umrah on a Saudi tourist visa? Yes, outside the Hajj season. The tourist visa does not cover Hajj, which needs a separate Hajj visa.

Can Indian passport holders get the Saudi eVisa? Yes, if India is on the eligible list or you qualify through an exemption, such as a used US, UK or Schengen visa or US, EU or UK permanent residence.

What is the Saudi Package Visa? An official Visit Saudi campaign that combines flights, licensed hotels and a tourist visa through listed partners. Start on the Visit Saudi campaign page.

What does Tasheer do? Tasheer runs the appointment and biometrics centres for mission-based Saudi visas. It collects your file, but the Saudi authorities make the decision.