Saudi Tourist eVisa for Indians via GCC Residency in 2026: Eligibility, Delays and What to Do

What's Happening with Saudi eVisas for Indians (August 2026)

Indian passport holders living in the Gulf or holding a valid US, UK, or Schengen visa qualify for the Saudi tourist eVisa. For most applicants, the process runs without issue. A meaningful share of Indian applicants, however, report their applications sitting for days without a confirmation email after payment, or getting stuck in a status labelled "Sent to Embassy" with no movement and no timeline in sight.

This guide covers who qualifies, how the application works, what those status messages mean, and what steps applicants can take while they wait. Fees and rules can change, so checking visa.visitsaudi.com before applying is recommended. The final decision on any application rests with Saudi Arabia's visa authorities, not with Visarun.ai.

Who Can Get a Saudi Tourist eVisa on an Indian Passport - All Routes

Indian passport holders are not automatically eligible for the Saudi tourist eVisa by nationality alone. Based on general eligibility guidance from secondary sources, eligibility in practice depends on one of the following qualifying conditions.

• Nationals of countries on Saudi Arabia's approved eVisa list, though India is not currently on this list as a standalone qualifying nationality
• Permanent residents of the US, UK, or an EU member state
• Holders of a used US, UK, or Schengen tourist or business visa with at least one physical entry stamp from the issuing country
• Valid GCC residence permit holders, covering the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain

Each route has its own conditions. The sections below explain them in detail.

The GCC Resident Route - Eligibility and Conditions

As of April 2023, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism made all GCC residents eligible for the Saudi tourist eVisa regardless of their profession. This removed an earlier restriction that had excluded certain occupations from applying.

To qualify under this route, applicants typically need to meet these conditions:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Hold a valid GCC residence permit with at least three months' remaining validity at the time of application
• Hold a passport valid for at least six months

The April 2023 expansion also covers first-degree relatives of the GCC residency holder, meaning parents, spouses, and children. Domestic workers travelling with their GCC sponsor are similarly eligible under the same rules.

For UAE-based GCC residents specifically, the Saudi eVisa comes in two forms: a single-entry visa valid for 90 days, or a multiple-entry visa valid for one year. Each stay in Saudi Arabia is capped at 90 days.

No official source has broken down eligibility state-by-state for each GCC country individually. Applicants with residency in Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, or Bahrain should confirm their specific permit type is accepted on the official portal before paying.

The US/UK/Schengen Visa and PR Route

Holders of a valid UK, US, or Schengen tourist or business visa can apply for the Saudi eVisa, provided that visa has been used at least once to enter the issuing country. A completely unused visa does not qualify. Official requirements and visa consultancy guidance agree on this point.

The entry record must also appear as a physical stamp in the passport. According to Gulf News reporting on a June 2023 Saudi Ministry of Tourism announcement, a digital-only entry record is not accepted by Visit Saudi. Applicants with a digital entry record, common with some EU member states, should check their passport for an ink or machine-applied stamp before applying.

Permanent residents of the US, UK, or an EU member state are also eligible under this route. First-degree relatives of the qualifying visa or PR holder can apply on this basis as well.

According to visa guide reports, holders of a qualifying used visa may also be eligible for a visa on arrival when flying a Saudi-based carrier such as Saudia, Flynas, or Flyadeal. These details are not independently verified by official sources, so reconfirm specific airline and route conditions directly with Visit Saudi before travel.

How to Apply on the Official KSA Visa Platform - Step by Step

The primary official portal for the Saudi tourist eVisa is visa.visitsaudi.com, operated by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism. Saudi Arabia also launched a unified visa platform at ksavisa.sa in 2023, intended to cover tourist, Umrah, Hajj, and work visa applications in one place. As reported in 2023, UAE-based GCC residents were applying through ksavisa.sa, though this may have been superseded by later portal consolidation. Applicants should check both platforms and use whichever currently accepts their application type.

Based on how the portals have been described in third-party guides, the application process generally involves these steps:

• Create an account using a valid email address
• Select the tourist eVisa and the relevant eligibility route — GCC resident, US/UK/Schengen visa holder, or PR holder
• Upload a clear scan of the biographical page of your passport
• Upload your GCC residence permit, or the passport page showing the qualifying entry stamp
• Upload a recent passport-size photograph meeting the portal's specifications
• Complete the personal details form and review all entries before submitting
• Pay the applicable fee online — both a visa application fee and a mandatory health insurance component are charged at this stage
• Save the payment confirmation or reference number immediately, as this may be needed for any follow-up

Official step-by-step guidance with screenshots is not available from the portals in a publicly accessible format at the time of writing. Visarun.ai can help with document prep and review.

Fees, Validity and What Multiple Entry Actually Means

The Saudi tourist eVisa is a one-year multiple-entry visa allowing stays of up to 90 days per visit. The holder can enter and exit Saudi Arabia multiple times within the twelve-month validity window. Each individual stay is capped at 90 days, regardless of how much validity remains on the visa.

According to an unofficial visa guide, there may also be a cumulative annual cap of up to 180 days total stay per year. This figure is not confirmed by any official Saudi source. Applicants should treat the 90-days-per-visit rule as the confirmed limit and seek clarification from Visit Saudi if longer cumulative stays are planned.

Overstay, and fines or future restrictions typically follow. Specific penalty amounts aren't published by official sources and may vary.

On fees: there is no single officially confirmed figure that reconciles the amounts currently in circulation. The total charge at payment typically includes a base visa fee plus mandatory health insurance and applicable VAT. Reports suggest the bundled health insurance covers emergency medical treatment up to SAR 100,000 and repatriation of remains up to SAR 10,000. These are reported as typical mandated minimums, not confirmed directly by an official Saudi source. Applicants should check the fee displayed on the portal at the time of their specific application.

Processing Time vs Reality - Stuck at Sent to Embassy

Reports suggest standard Saudi eVisa processing usually takes one to two days. A paid standard tier takes three to six days, and a paid rush tier takes one to three days. These figures are not officially confirmed, and actual processing times vary.

A subset of applications cannot be fully processed by the automated eVisa system and are instead forwarded to the relevant Saudi Embassy or Consulate for manual review. According to unofficial visa-tracking guides, this is what the status "Sent to Embassy" means. The application has moved from the central online system to an embassy official for a human decision. It typically applies to work visas, long-stay applications, and some visitor visa cases for certain nationalities, including, in some instances, Indian passport holders applying on the GCC-resident or US/UK/Schengen route.

There is no official universal timeline for how long an application stays in this status. Unofficial trackers describe delays of one to several weeks, with the visa often issued soon after the embassy completes its review. That doesn't mean a refusal is coming.

No Confirmation After Payment - What You Can Actually Do

Some applicants are charged for a Saudi eVisa but receive no confirmation email and see no application in their portal account. There are several practical steps worth taking in this situation:

• Check the spam and junk folders of the email used to register — confirmation emails frequently land there
• Log back into the portal account and check the dashboard for an application reference number, even without a separate email
• Save or screenshot the payment gateway reference immediately — this is the primary evidence of the transaction
• Wait 24 to 48 hours before concluding there is a system error, as portal delays during high-traffic periods are common
• Raise a support query through the portal using the payment reference, passport number, and date of payment
• According to an unofficial travel guide, eVisa status can also be checked through the Enjaz platform, which may show a record of the application even if the main portal does not

There is currently no official published refund policy for cases where payment is taken but no application is created. If the charge shows on a card statement with no linked application after several days, raise a support ticket through the portal first. No response after a reasonable period? Contacting the card-issuing bank to start a payment dispute is an option under applicable card-scheme rules. Visarun.ai's support team can help applicants document their case and find the right escalation path.

Recent Changes (2025-2026)

Several updates since 2023 have broadened who can apply and what the Saudi tourist eVisa covers:

• In August 2023, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism expanded the Visitor eVisa eligible-country list by eight more nationalities, including Maldives, South Africa, and Uzbekistan, adding to the existing pool of eligible GCC residents and US/UK/Schengen visa holders.
• According to industry and travel-agency reporting of an October 2025 announcement, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah decreed that holders of any valid Saudi visa, including a tourist eVisa, are now eligible to perform Umrah, removing the earlier requirement for a dedicated Umrah visa. This has not yet been corroborated by an official Saudi government notice, so confirming the current rule directly with Visit Saudi or the Nusuk platform before travel is advisable.
• According to sector news reporting, GCC residents and citizens are now permitted to perform Umrah at any time of year under updated rules linked to the Nusuk platform, though this is not directly corroborated by an official Ministry statement.

No official notice of a 2026 seasonal suspension of tourist eVisa issuance around the Hajj period has been confirmed at the time of writing. Sources note in general terms that eVisa-based Umrah access is typically paused during the Hajj season. But specific 2026 blackout dates aren't officially available.

FAQ

Can an Indian passport holder get a Saudi tourist eVisa without a GCC permit or a US/UK/Schengen visa?

Based on current eligibility guidance from secondary sources, Indian passport holders are not on the standalone approved-nationality list for the Saudi eVisa. In practice, eligibility depends on holding a valid GCC residence permit, a used US/UK/Schengen visa with a physical entry stamp, or permanent residency in the US, UK, or an EU country. Applicants who do not meet any of these conditions typically need to apply for a traditional sticker visa through a Saudi consulate.

Which GCC countries' residency permits qualify for the Saudi eVisa route?

The general eligibility wording refers to residents of GCC countries, understood to include UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain. No official source has provided a country-by-country breakdown, so applicants should verify that their specific permit type is accepted by checking visa.visitsaudi.com before applying.

What is the minimum remaining validity my GCC residence permit needs?

Applicants typically need a GCC residency permit with at least three months' remaining validity at the time of application, alongside a passport valid for at least six months.

My Schengen visa has never been used. Can I still apply?

No. The Saudi eVisa rules require that a qualifying US, UK, or Schengen visa have been used at least once to enter the issuing country. A completely unused visa does not qualify. The entry record must also appear as a physical stamp in the passport. A digital-only entry record is not accepted under this route.

What does "Sent to Embassy" mean and should I be concerned?

According to unofficial visa-tracking guides, "Sent to Embassy" means the application has been forwarded from the automated online system to a Saudi Embassy or Consulate for manual review. It does not automatically indicate a refusal is coming. Unofficial reports describe delays of one to several weeks in this status, with the visa often issued after the embassy completes its review. No official timeline exists for how long this stage takes.

I was charged for the eVisa but received no confirmation. What should I do?

Start by checking your email spam folder and logging into the portal dashboard to see if an application reference appears. Save the payment gateway reference as evidence. Wait 24 to 48 hours, then raise a support query through the portal using your payment reference, passport number, and payment date. Checking via the Enjaz platform may also show a record of the application. If no resolution is reached after several days, contacting your card-issuing bank to initiate a payment dispute is an available option.

How much does the Saudi tourist eVisa cost?

There is no single officially confirmed fee that reconciles all amounts currently reported. The total charge at payment includes a base visa fee, mandatory health insurance, and applicable VAT. Applicants should check the fee shown on the official portal at the time of their application, as it can be updated without public notice.

Can I perform Umrah using a Saudi tourist eVisa?

According to industry reporting of an October 2025 announcement, holders of any valid Saudi visa, including a tourist eVisa, are now eligible to perform Umrah. This has not yet been corroborated by an official Saudi government notice. Confirm the current rule directly with Visit Saudi or the Nusuk platform at nusuk.sa before travelling with plans to perform Umrah on a tourist eVisa.

How many times can I enter Saudi Arabia on a multiple-entry tourist eVisa?

The Saudi tourist eVisa is valid for one year from the date of issue and allows multiple entries during that period. Each individual stay is capped at up to 90 days. An unofficial guide references a cumulative annual cap of 180 days, but this figure is not confirmed by any official Saudi source.

Can my spouse or children apply for the Saudi eVisa using my GCC residence permit?

Yes. Under the April 2023 eligibility expansion, first-degree relatives, meaning parents, spouses, and children, of the GCC residency holder are also eligible for the Saudi eVisa. Domestic workers travelling with their GCC-resident sponsor are similarly covered. Each family member typically needs to submit a separate application with documents demonstrating the relationship to the primary permit holder.