UK Visit Visa from Saudi Arabia 2026: Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar Applications, Fees and Processing

UK Visit Visa from Saudi Arabia - 2026 Quick Answer

The answer depends on your passport, not on where you live. Figures below are from GOV.UK as of October 2026.

• Saudi citizens: no visa for visits of up to 6 months, but an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) is needed. It costs £20 and is usually decided within a day.
• Saudi citizens with a criminal record or a previous refusal of entry to the UK may be better off with a Standard Visitor visa, according to the official GOV.UK visa checker.
• Iqama holders on Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian and many other passports: a Standard Visitor visa is needed before travel. The iqama does not change that.
• The visa costs £135 for up to 6 months. You apply online no earlier than 3 months before the trip, then give fingerprints and a photo at a VFS Global centre in Saudi Arabia.
• UKVI's standard processing time is 3 weeks from that appointment.
• Visitors cannot do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as self-employed, apart from a permitted paid engagement.

We recommend checking GOV.UK before you pay and not booking flights until a decision arrives, which is also what UKVI advises.

Saudi Citizens and the UK ETA vs Residents Who Need a Visa

Saudi passport holders: the ETA

Saudi nationals have visited the UK on an ETA since 22 February 2024, when it replaced the electronic visa waiver (EVW). Since 25 February 2026 airlines prevent passengers from boarding without an ETA, eVisa or other valid documentation.

• Cost: £20 as of October 2026, paid in the UK ETA app or online, not refundable.
• Decision: usually by email within a day, up to 3 working days.
• Validity: 2 years or until the passport expires, whichever is sooner, with unlimited trips of up to 6 months each.
• Who needs one: every traveller, including babies and children.

GOV.UK warns against websites that imitate government services and charge more. An ETA does not guarantee entry. At the border you need a passport valid for the whole stay and may be asked to show the purpose of the trip, enough money (or someone else's funding), accommodation, the means to pay for return or onward travel, and that you will leave at the end of the visit.

Iqama holders: nationality decides

GOV.UK states that ETA eligibility depends on the nationality shown on your passport. Saudi Arabia is on the eligible list. Nationalities not on it cannot get an ETA, and there is no exception based on residence. An Indian engineer in Riyadh with a valid iqama is assessed as an Indian national.

The Immigration Rules list visa nationals who need a visa in advance for any purpose. The list includes India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Egypt, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Sudan, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nigeria and Kenya. Saudi Arabia is not on it. If your passport is, the rest of this guide is for you.

Applying Online and Booking a VFS Appointment

The application starts on GOV.UK, at the earliest 3 months before travel. The form asks for:

• travel dates, where you will stay and the expected cost of the trip
• your current home address and how long you have lived there (for iqama holders, normally the Saudi address)
• your parents' names, your annual income and any criminal, civil or immigration offences
• depending on your circumstances, 10 years of travel history and your employer's address and phone number

Answer carefully. The income and trip cost you enter will be compared with your documents.

Choosing a visa application centre

You book the appointment as part of the online application. UKVI's location page for Saudi Arabia refers applicants to VFS Global, its commercial partner, to check available services. Once you confirm a location, you cannot change it, so pick a city you can reach on the day.

According to third-party guides in October 2026, VFS runs UK centres in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar in the Eastern Province. Check the current address and hours on the VFS Global Saudi Arabia booking page. Historically (GOV.UK, 2014), the UK had centres in all three cities, with an optional VIP lounge for an extra fee.

Optional VFS extras such as a premium lounge or courier are not required and do not affect the decision. VFS sets their prices in SAR, and we could not verify them, so check the booking page if you want one.

At the appointment

You prove your identity with your passport, give fingerprints and a photo, and hand in your supporting documents. The passport comes back the same day, though the centre may keep other documents during processing. UKVI may instead let some applicants verify identity in the UK Immigration: ID Check app, and says you will be told when you apply. Each family member needs their own application, fee and appointment.

Documents Checklist for Iqama Holders

The Home Office guide to supporting documents is not exhaustive and does not name Saudi papers such as the iqama or a salary certificate. Below, local documents are matched to the categories it does name.

• Passport valid for the whole stay, plus previous passports showing travel to other countries.
• Iqama copy as confirmation of legal residence, which the Home Office suggests when you are not a national of the country you apply from.
• Employer letter on headed paper with your role, salary and length of employment (locally this is often a salary certificate).
• Self-employed: business registration or recent invoices. Students: an enrolment and leave-of-absence letter.
• Bank statements showing where the money comes from. Income, large deposits and family support should match what you declared on the form.
• Sponsor evidence if someone else pays: what they cover and how, proof they can support themselves and their dependants, and your relationship.
• Certified English translations of Arabic documents, each with the translator's confirmation of accuracy, the date, full name, signature and contact details.

How much money you need to show

There is no official minimum balance and no required number of months of statements. Home Office caseworker guidance says there is no set level of funds. The test is access to enough money for the whole planned visit. Statements or letters older than a year count as less useful.

The Home Office also lists credit card statements, car ownership papers, hotel and flight bookings (unless transiting) and travel insurance as less useful, and says no document guarantees a visa. Since UKVI advises against booking travel before a decision, we suggest a draft itinerary rather than paid tickets.

Iqama validity and exit/re-entry

UKVI sets no minimum iqama validity, and we found no rule tying the visa to your iqama expiry. Caseworkers may shorten a visit visa if a travel document limits how long the holder may stay outside their country of normal residence.

Under Saudi rules as reported by Gulf News, expats need an exit/re-entry visa through Absher to travel, and cannot re-enter once the iqama or the exit/re-entry visa expires, whichever comes first. Check your dates on Absher before booking.

Visarun's team can check your documents and prepare the application before your appointment. The decision stays with UKVI.

Fees, Priority Services and Visa Length

GOV.UK fees in pounds, as of October 2026:

• Up to 6 months: £135
• 2-year long-term visa: £506
• 5-year long-term visa: £903
• 10-year long-term visa: £1,128

Each family member pays separately. The online payment may show the amount in local terms, but only the GBP figures are official.

The Home Office fee table of 8 October 2026 lists a £76.50 user-pays charge, which applies only where a centre is designated as user-pays, and that is not confirmed for any Saudi centre in 2026. You will see any such fee when you book.

Long-term visas

• Each visit is capped at 6 months.
• UKVI may issue a shorter visa than requested, with no refund. Refused applications are not refunded either.
• The visa can be cancelled if your travel history shows you repeatedly living in the UK for extended periods.
• For under-18s it is valid only until 6 months after they turn 18.

Priority and Super Priority

• Priority: £500 on top of the visa fee, decision usually within 5 working days.
• Super Priority: £1,000 extra, decision usually by the end of the next working day after a weekday appointment, or 2 working days after a weekend or bank-holiday appointment.

Every family member pays, and the fee is not usually refunded if the decision takes longer. "Weekend" means the UK weekend, so a Saudi Sunday appointment would likely count as one. GOV.UK says you are told when you apply whether a faster service exists. It is not confirmed for specific Saudi centres, so check when you book.

Processing Time and Passport Return

UKVI's standard for visitor visas applied for outside the UK is 3 weeks, per its guidance updated on 9 September 2026. The clock starts at the centre appointment and runs Monday to Friday, so a Friday counts even though it is the Saudi weekend, while a Sunday does not.

• Your passport is returned the same day.
• If you left your passport at the centre, UKVI asks you not to return until contacted.
• No need to chase UKVI within the standard time.
• It can take longer if UKVI needs more evidence such as proof of funds, verifies documents, calls an interview or faces high demand. You will be contacted within the standard time if so.
• UKVI does not reimburse travel costs if an application is refused or delayed.

Approved applicants get an eVisa. You create a UKVI account, confirm your identity and link it to the eVisa, which is usually visible straight away but can take up to 24 hours.

According to one applicant's report on Reddit (September 2026), a Riyadh applicant gave biometrics on 27 August 2026 and had a 2-year visa approved 13 calendar days later, after submitting bank statements, an employment letter, an itinerary, proof of residency in Saudi Arabia and copies of two previous UK visas. One case with a strong history is not a forecast, so plan around 3 weeks.

Common Refusal Reasons for Gulf Residents

Visitor applications are decided against paragraph V 4.2 of Appendix V: Visitor, the genuine visitor test. The officer has to be satisfied that you:

• (a) will leave the UK at the end of the visit
• (b) will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits
• (c) are genuinely coming for a permitted purpose
• (d) will not do prohibited activities
• (e) have enough money for the visit, including return or onward travel

Caseworkers weigh immigration history, finances, family and economic background, and ties to the country of residence. For an iqama holder that means Saudi Arabia: your job, home, family and assets there.

• Declared income, large deposits and family support need to match the evidence.
• Past travel to the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Schengen or Switzerland may help, but the guidance says it should not be the only consideration.

According to an applicant's report on Reddit (August 2026), a logistics coordinator employed in Riyadh since 2017, with recent Schengen trips, was refused under V4.2 (a) and (c) because the officer was not satisfied with ties, assets or property in the country of residence. The poster planned to add car registration papers, which the Home Office lists as less useful evidence. Our separate guide covers UK visitor refusals for GCC residents in more detail.

Recent Changes (2025-2026)

• 22 February 2024 (background): the ETA replaced the EVW for Saudi and other GCC nationals. It cost £10 at the time.
• 25 February 2026: the UK began enforcing the ETA, and airlines now prevent boarding without an ETA, eVisa or other valid documentation.
• Early March 2026: as reported in March 2026, VFS Global asked applicants in the Middle East to check its website for service adjustments before visiting a centre. We recommend checking the VFS page before your appointment.
• 8 April 2026: fees rose. Visit visa £127 to £135, 2-year £475 to £506, 5-year £848 to £903, 10-year £1,059 to £1,128, ETA £16 to £20.
• 9 September 2026: UKVI clarified that travel should not be booked before a decision and that it does not cover expenses from delays.
• 8 October 2026: the Home Office published version 18.0 of its Visit caseworker guidance, covering Erasmus+ visitors, creative activities, work-related training and caring for relatives, and updated the supporting-documents guide. Visit visa and ETA fees stayed the same.

FAQ

Can I get a UK ETA with a Saudi iqama?

No. Eligibility depends on the nationality in your passport. Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian and other visa-national passport holders need a Standard Visitor visa.

Do Saudi citizens need a UK visa in 2026?

Not for visits up to 6 months. As of October 2026 they need a £20 ETA, valid 2 years or until the passport expires.

How much is a UK visit visa from Saudi Arabia?

As of October 2026: £135 for 6 months, £506 for 2 years, £903 for 5 years, £1,128 for 10 years.

How much money should be in my bank account?

There is no official minimum. What matters is access to enough funds for the whole trip, with statements explaining their origin.

Does my iqama need a minimum validity?

UKVI sets none. Under Saudi rules as reported by Gulf News, you cannot re-enter after the iqama or exit/re-entry visa expires, so check both on Absher.

How long does a UK visa take from Riyadh?

The UKVI standard is 3 weeks from biometrics, counted Monday to Friday. Extra checks can extend it.

Is Super Priority available in Saudi Arabia?

You will be told during the application. It is not confirmed for any Saudi centre, so check when booking.

Can I change my visa centre after booking?

No. UKVI says a confirmed location cannot be changed.

Can a refused visitor visa be reviewed?

Normally not. The visitor route is not on the administrative review list in Appendix AR. A new application would need to address the V 4.2 points in the letter.

Can Visarun guarantee my visa?

No. Visarun is a private agency that helps prepare and check applications. Visa fees go to the Home Office. UKVI decides. Neither Visarun nor VFS can influence or speed up the outcome beyond official priority services.