Saudi Arabia Visa Requirements for U.S. Citizens
Middle East · SA
Saudi Arabia visa requirements for U.S. citizens
e-Visa, one year multiple entry, 90 days per stay
- U.S. passport status
- e-Visa
- Visa-free days
- 90 days
- Document route
- Apostille
- Translation
- Required
- Short-stay fee
- $120
- Schengen area
- No
Entering Saudi Arabia
U.S. citizens can obtain a tourist e-Visa online, typically issued for one year with multiple entries and a maximum of 90 days per visit. It is applied for through the official Saudi visa portal and is normally granted within minutes to a few days. Saudi Arabia opened to general tourism only in 2019 and the process is now among the quickest in the region.
Passport requirements
Valid for at least six months beyond your intended departure, with at least two blank pages.
What is specific to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia joined the Hague Apostille Convention in 2022, so U.S. documents are apostilled rather than run through the full embassy attestation chain. This is a significant simplification and it distinguishes Saudi Arabia sharply from the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, which is not a member and still requires full attestation. Saudi Arabia also introduced a Premium Residency scheme, sometimes called the Saudi green card, which allows residence without a local sponsor.
Visa categories for Saudi Arabia
Each has its own page combining the universal process for that category with what Saudi Arabia specifically requires.
Tourist and Visitor Visa
e-Visa, one year multiple entry, 90 days per stay.
Business Visitor Visa
Business visit visa, invitation-based, or the e-Visa for many activities.
Student and Study Visa
A student visa is one of the most document-heavy categories, and it is also one of the most mechanical: if you have an unconditional…
Work and Employment Visa
Employer-sponsored, requiring an attested degree and a medical, with the sponsor holding formal responsibility.
Family, Spouse and Partner Visa
Family routes are usually the most generous immigration category a country offers and simultaneously the most document-intensive. There is normally no income test on…
Investor, Golden and Entrepreneur Visa
Premium Residency, available as a one-year renewable or a permanent option, which removes the sponsorship requirement.
Permanent Residence and Citizenship
Premium Residency in its permanent form. Citizenship is granted only rarely and by exception.
Where and how to apply
- Official portal
- Saudi Arabia official visa portal
- Where to file
- At the consulate with jurisdiction over your U.S. state of residence.
- Biometrics
- Fingerprints and a facial image are collected for most visa categories.
- Fees
- The tourist e-Visa is roughly 120 dollars including mandatory insurance.
- Short-stay processing
- Minutes to a few days for the e-Visa
- Long-stay processing
- Several weeks for work and residence permits, which are employer-led
Documents and authentication for Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so U.S. public documents are apostilled. That is a single certificate and it is the end of the chain.
Translation. Required into Arabic by a licensed translator.
- 1 Obtain a certified original From the issuing authority. Photocopies, scans and souvenir certificates cannot be authenticated.
- 2 Notarise, if it is a private document Letters, affidavits, powers of attorney and diploma copies need a notary acknowledgement first. Government-issued vital records do not.
- 3 County clerk, in some states A handful of states require the county clerk to certify the notary commission before the Secretary of State will act.
- 4 Authenticate at the right level State-issued documents go to the Secretary of State of the ISSUING state. Federal documents, including the FBI Identity History Summary, go to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications.
- 5 Apostille or embassy legalisation Hague Convention destination: the apostille ends the chain. Non-member destination: the document then goes to that country embassy or consulate. For Saudi Arabia the apostille ends the chain.
- 6 Certified translation Translate the document together with its apostille or legalisation certificate. Doing this first means paying twice. Required into Arabic by a licensed translator.
- 7 File with the right consulate Jurisdiction is by your U.S. state of residence. Bring originals plus a full copy set.
The two expensive mistakes. Sending a federal document such as an FBI Identity History Summary to a Secretary of State, which cannot authenticate it. And translating before authentication, so the apostille certificate is not inside the translation and the whole set has to be paid for twice.
Official sources
- Saudi Arabia official visa portal The e-Visa application.
- Premium Residency Center The sponsor-free residence programme.
Questions about Saudi Arabia
Apostille or attestation for Saudi Arabia?
Apostille. Saudi Arabia acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention in 2022, so U.S. public documents are apostilled and do not need the full embassy attestation chain. This is a genuine and recent simplification, and it is the opposite of the position in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates.
Verified Sep 7, 2026 Primary sources: www.moi.gov.sa, visa.visitsaudi.com
This resource is provided free by Federal Apostille as an educational tool. It is not legal or immigration advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by using it. Visa rules, fees, processing times and entry requirements change frequently and often without notice, and individual circumstances change the answer. Always confirm current requirements with the official government source and the specific embassy or consulate that has jurisdiction over your place of residence before you book travel or file an application. Every figure on this site carries the date we last verified it and a link to the primary source.
