By Mohammed Rashad Hussain, Managing PartnerPublished 3 min read
Can UAE residents get a Saudi tourist eVisa?
Saudi Arabia issues tourist visas online. The official platforms are visa.visitsaudi.com and ksavisa.sa. GCC residents are among the groups the platform covers, and the rules turn on your nationality and the details of your UAE residence permit.
We could not read a fixed list of conditions from the official pages, so we do not print fees, validity or stay length here. Those numbers move. Open the platform, enter your passport and permit details, and read what it shows you on that day.
What to check before you apply
- Your UAE residence permit: is it valid, and for how much longer?
- Your passport validity.
- Whether your profession is accepted, if the platform asks.
- Whether the visa is single or multiple entry.
- How many days you may stay on each entry.
Our guide to UAE visa documents covers the paperwork residents usually gather. For the UAE side of GCC travel, see the UAE eVisa for GCC residents guide. Passport rankings are in the visa-free countries guide.
Can you do Umrah on a Saudi tourist visa?
Saudi Arabia has said tourist visa holders may perform Umrah outside the Hajj season. We could not confirm the current wording on an official page, so check the Nusuk platform for dates and booking steps. For the full trip, read Umrah from the UAE.
Driving from Abu Dhabi to the Saudi border
The UAE crossing for the road to Riyadh is Al Ghuwaifat, in the far west of Abu Dhabi emirate. Al Batha is its Saudi counterpart. Our Ghuwaifat and Batha border guide walks through the stages. Vehicle insurance and customs for a UAE-registered car are official points we have not confirmed, so ask the insurer and customs before you drive yourself.
A chauffeur-driven trip removes the vehicle paperwork. See our Saudi Arabia cross-border page, and send your route on WhatsApp to learn what we can run.
Going on to Qatar or Bahrain
From Saudi Arabia, two onward roads matter:
| Destination | Road | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bahrain | King Fahd Causeway | Operated by the King Fahd Causeway Authority. Bahrain has its own eVisa. |
| Qatar | Saudi-Qatar land crossing | Qatar sets its own entry rules for UAE residents. |
Read our pages for Qatar and Bahrain for the trip itself. Each country has its own entry rules, so check both before you book. For shorter UAE journeys, see intercity transfers.
Applying yourself or through an agency
You can apply directly on the official platform. An agency adds a fee and a middleman. Whoever applies, the visa is issued in your passport details, so check the spelling against your passport. Our visa pages set out how outbound visas are handled, and the UAE visas explained hub links the rest. If you also plan an Omani leg, see Oman visa for UAE residents.
Coming back into the UAE
Carry the passport you left with and your residence documents. Allow extra time at Al Ghuwaifat for the return.
Photos in this guide
Lit road approaching the Al Ghuwaifat border gates at night, under a row of blue overhead signsGainerz120 (Wiki Loves Earth 2022, UAE) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A multi-lane desert highway in western Abu Dhabi emirate with tall lighting masts and a lorry in the left laneRizwan Ullah Wazir / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
The Al Ghuwaifat border post seen from beside a building arch, with the lit road and signs aheadGainerz120 (Wiki Loves Earth 2022, UAE) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Riyadh skyline at dusk, with the Kingdom Centre and Al Faisaliyah towers behind a landscaped highwayThesadcactus / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
