Saudi Visit Visa for UAE Residents 2026: eVisa Eligibility, Cost and Processing

Can UAE Residents Get a Saudi Visa? (2026 Quick Answer)

Yes. A Gulf residence permit is itself a ground for the Saudi tourism e-visa. The official KSA Visa platform, run by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, lists residents of GCC countries among the categories that can get the tourism e-visa online, alongside holders of Schengen, US or UK visit visas and permanent residents of the USA, the EU or the UK.

The nationality route is closed to most UAE expats: the Saudi eVisa portal opens it to 66 eligible countries, a list with no South Asian, Philippine or Egyptian passport on it. Indian, Pakistani, Filipino and Egyptian expats apply on their residence instead.

What the official portal publishes, as of September 2026:

• Single entry - validity 90 days, stay duration 90 days
• Multiple entry - validity 1 year, stay duration 90 days

The eVisa portal calls it a one-year, multiple entry visa allowing up to 90 days in the country, covering events, family visits, leisure and Umrah, and excluding Hajj and study. The Ministry of Tourism terms cap the stay at three months and rule out extensions.

Who Qualifies Under the GCC Resident Route

The eligibility card is short: residence in a GCC state puts an applicant in the category. The other conditions sit in the service requirements tab and the Ministry of Tourism terms.

• Age - at least 18, unless accompanied by a legal guardian
• Passport - at least six months of validity remaining, counted by the eVisa terms from the date of entry to Saudi Arabia rather than from the application date
• Funds - enough to cover accommodation, food and transport for the whole stay
• Residence - a valid residence permit in one of the GCC countries

The Gulf route does not include visa on arrival. The portal lists that only for holders of Schengen, US or UK visit visas and permanent residents of the USA, the EU or the UK, so the e-visa is obtained before travel. Visarun helps to check whether a residence permit and passport fit this route before anything is filed.

Profession, Salary and Residency Conditions

Old guidance does the most damage here. The immigration firm Fragomen reported on 15 March 2023 that the approved-profession list had been removed and that all Gulf Cooperation Council residents became eligible for a Saudi e-visa for tourism or Umrah regardless of profession. Gulf News reported the same change, noting that in the past only certain categories of professions were allowed to apply. The live official eligibility card carries no profession wording at all, and its Arabic version describes the category simply as people holding lawful residency in a GCC state. Neither platform publishes a salary threshold. Judged against that reporting and the live card, 2026 pages still listing qualifying professions are out of date.

Residence validity is the grey area. Fragomen puts the minimum at three months on the residency permit and six on the passport, and Gulf News repeats both thresholds in its UAE guide updated on 1 December 2025. No official Saudi page states the three-month condition - the card asks only for residency in a GCC country - so treat it as commonly required rather than as a published rule.

Dependents are the other open question. Fragomen extends eligibility to accompanying first-degree relatives of the residency holder and to domestic workers arriving with their GCC resident sponsors. That is the closest published position: no official statement covers a "No Work" or housewife designation, and no agency can promise an outcome.

An applicant report on Reddit dated 22 September 2026 describes one such case: a homemaker on her husband's sponsorship, filed with "No Work" as her status and about three months and 19 days left on her residence visa. Those two details are what the poster suspects caused the delay.

How to Apply on the Official Portal Step by Step

Applications go through the unified platform at ksavisa.sa, registered with the Digital Government Authority under number 20250831089. The Saudi Embassy in the UAE site carries no separate procedure and directs applicants to that platform.

• Register and open the visit visa, then pick the tourism purpose
• Enter personal and passport details exactly as in the passport
• Upload the documents
• Choose an insurance company - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs user guide ends the visitor flow with saving the form, choosing an insurer and paying, so the policy is bought inside the application
• Pay, then keep the application number for the tracker

The official requirements name a valid passport. Gulf News' guide for UAE expatriates describes what applicants report uploading in practice: a white-background photo, a passport copy and a copy of the UAE residence visa page.

We recommend checking every field before payment, since the platform FAQ states an application can be amended only until it is completed and paid for.

Fees, Insurance and What the Visa Includes

The fee is published in US dollars. As of September 2026 the tourism visit visa breaks into three lines plus the insurance premium:

• Visa fee - $80, refundable
• Visa digital services fee - $10.5, non-refundable
• Insurance digital services fee - $10.5, non-refundable
• Insurance premium - based on the provider selected inside the application

The insurance line carries no fixed figure because the portal prices it by provider. Fragomen puts the requirement plainly: the e-visa is only issued after the applicant buys health insurance valid for the entire stay. No riyal amount appears on the live official fee card, so a SAR total quoted elsewhere is somebody's conversion rather than a published Saudi fee.

Refunds differ between the two Saudi platforms. A Gulf resident applies through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs platform, whose FAQ states that on rejection or cancellation an automatic refund request is submitted and processed within 45 to 60 business days, and that a rejected applicant gets a refund for the fees paid; once the visa is issued, nothing is refunded and it cannot be cancelled. The Ministry of Tourism eVisa terms say the opposite, ruling out cancellation or refund under any circumstances, but that wording governs the nationality route on the tourism portal, not the application a UAE resident files.

Processing Time and Application Statuses

Two official figures exist. The service card gives a processing time of one minute to three business days. The central FAQ states that once the application is submitted and paid for, processing may take a maximum of three working days, and in some exceptional cases longer. Those are the only timings with an official source behind them as of September 2026.

Approval or rejection is notified by email, and extra documents may be requested by email or through a visit to the embassy. Status goes through the Track your application option, which asks for an application or visa number plus the passport number.

What "Sent to Embassy" means

The portal explains the mechanism without naming the status: where visa service centres are not available in the applicant's country, visitors apply through the platform and then proceed directly to the Saudi embassy in their country of residence. No official page defines the wording or sets a time limit for it.

Applicant reports fill that gap as single experiences. According to a Reddit post dated 22 September 2026, a multiple-entry application filed on 25 August 2026 had been showing "Sent to Embassy" ever since. The same poster wrote that in July 2026 two family applications sat at that status for exactly 14 days before being processed successfully.

When a file goes quiet, the platform contact page publishes a case complaint form, a call centre on 920011114 available 24/7 and [email protected] with a one-business-day response target. Visarun helps to resolve stalled applications by preparing the follow-up, while the decision stays with the Saudi authorities.

Tourism, Umrah and Family Visits - What the Visa Allows

The official activity guidelines cover attending events and tourist activities, visiting family or friends, and performing Umrah. Travellers are not authorised to undertake the Hajj pilgrimage on this visa.

The tourism visa FAQ answers "Can I perform Umrah?" with a plain yes for Muslim tourists. The central FAQ says it can be performed during the stay and points to the Nusuk platform. Nusuk itself, run by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, states that holders of a visit, tourism or work visa may perform Umrah.

So the separate Umrah visa the portal also offers is not needed here. Nusuk lists an Umrah permit booking service among its instant e-services. Whether that permit is compulsory for a visit-visa holder is not stated on the official English pages, so we suggest booking through Nusuk rather than assuming either way.

Access to the two holy mosques follows religion, not visa type. The official FAQ states Muslim visit-visa holders may visit and engage in religious activities in Makkah and Madinah, while the eVisa terms state non-Muslims are not permitted to enter the Holy Mosque in Makkah or the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah.

Two limits sit around Hajj. The official Umrah page says Umrah is available all year except during the Hajj season, defined as 15 Dhul Qa'dah to 15 Dhul Hijjah. The eVisa terms bar visit-visa holders from Makkah from the start of Dhul Qa'dah to the end of the Hajj season; the clause recurs each year, but the dates printed on the page are still the 1446 AH ones, 29 April to 11 June 2025, so the current window has to be read off the portal.

Arrival in Saudi Arabia and Entry Checks

A visa is permission to travel, not guaranteed entry. The eVisa terms state that holding an eVisa does not guarantee entry to Saudi Arabia and that entry remains at the discretion of an immigration officer at the border.

• Same passport - arrival on the passport used for the application
• Biometrics - captured by the immigration authorities on arrival, on a mandatory basis
• A copy of the eVisa - carried at first arrival
• Means of support - enough to support the traveller and any dependents during the visit

One seasonal detail applies to the ports: the official FAQ warns that during the Hajj season entry is allowed only through specific designated ports, which is not a year-round restriction. Inside the country movement is free, and the same FAQ confirms travel between Saudi cities on a visit visa.

Recent Changes (2025-2026)

The most consequential change is old and still misreported. According to Fragomen's March 2023 alert and Gulf News' reporting at the time, the approved-profession list for GCC residents was dropped in 2023. Pages still publishing profession lists in 2026 repeat a condition the live eligibility card no longer carries.

The second is the platform. Gulf News dates the unified ksavisa.sa platform to 2023, which is why older guides still send UAE residents to visitsaudi.com or the previous Ministry of Foreign Affairs portal. Its guide, updated on 1 December 2025, names ksavisa.sa as the entry point.

Two newer items sit on the portal in 2026:

• A Package Visa service: citizens of selected countries get an instant tourism e-visa bundled with confirmed flights and a hotel bought from a travel agent approved by the Ministry of Tourism. It is issued within a maximum of 48 hours, is single entry, and is valid for three months from the scheduled departure date.
• An Electronic Travel Authorization now listed among the "Other" visa types, a category absent from the earlier portals.

FAQ

Can a UAE resident get a Saudi visa on arrival instead of applying online?

The official portal lists visa on arrival only for holders of Schengen, US or UK visit visas and for permanent residents of the USA, the EU or the UK. Gulf residence alone is not on that list, so the e-visa is obtained beforehand.

How much does the Saudi visit visa cost for a UAE resident in 2026?

Three lines in US dollars on the official platform: a refundable visa fee of $80, a non-refundable visa digital services fee of $10.5 and a non-refundable insurance digital services fee of $10.5. The insurance premium comes on top, priced by the chosen provider. No official riyal figure is published.

Is the 90-day stay counted per entry or per year?

There is no official answer as of September 2026. The portal lists the visa as valid one year with a stay duration of 90 days, and the Ministry of Tourism terms cap the maximum stay at three months. Neither says per entry or per year, and a Reddit thread on 19 September 2026 shows travellers asking the same thing.

How long does the application take?

Officially one minute to three business days, with the central FAQ adding that in exceptional cases it may take longer. Applicant reports on Reddit in 2026 describe waits of 14 days and of several weeks at "Sent to Embassy" - individual experiences, not a timeline.

Does my UAE residence permit need at least three months of validity left?

Immigration advisers and UAE media report that condition: Fragomen stated three-month residence and six-month passport thresholds in 2023, and Gulf News repeated both in December 2025. No official Saudi page states it.

Can a dependent with a "No Work" status on a UAE residence visa apply?

There is no official Saudi answer. Fragomen's 2023 alert says accompanying first-degree relatives and domestic workers arriving with their GCC resident sponsors are eligible, which is the closest published position. An applicant report on Reddit from 22 September 2026 describes such a case still unresolved weeks later.

Can I perform Umrah on the tourism visit visa?

Yes. The official tourism FAQ answers that Muslim tourists can perform Umrah, and Nusuk states that holders of a visit, tourism or work visa may perform it. Hajj is not authorised. The official English pages do not say whether the Nusuk permit is compulsory here.

If my application is rejected, do I get the money back?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs FAQ states that on rejection or cancellation an automatic refund request is submitted and processed within 45 to 60 business days, and that a rejected applicant gets the fees paid back. The two digital services fees are non-refundable, and once the visa is issued nothing is refunded or cancelled.

My application has been at "Sent to Embassy" for weeks. What can I do?

The platform contact page publishes a case complaint form with an application-number field, a call centre on 920011114 (00966920011114 from abroad) and [email protected] with a one-business-day response target. A rejected application can be refiled at any time.

We are relocating to Jeddah for work. Is this the right visa?

No. The eVisa terms grant the visa solely for tourism or Umrah and rule out paid employment during the visit. A UAE thread on 18 September 2026 shows the confusion, with a Pakistani couple asking whether they can fly from the UAE to Jeddah after cancelling their UAE visas for the husband's relocation.