DUBAI 16 March 2020: Foreign nationals applying for a visa to Saudi Arabia in Dubai are now subject to stricter documentary requirements that increase the overall visa processing time and may impact the applicant’s eligibility to obtain a visa, according to Fragomen, an immigration specialist firm.
Additionally, resident or visiting nationals of China, Iran and Yemen are currently not allowed to apply for a visa to Saudi Arabia.
Additional Requirements
The following are the new requirements the visa applicants must now meet:
1. Foreign nationals must provide an exit/entry report from the immigration authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), indicating their travel history in the last six months and including all countries visited by the applicant; the report must be issued no earlier than 24 hours before the visa application appointment.
2. Foreign nationals who have travelled outside of the UAE must wait a minimum of 14 days from their date of arrival in the UAE before they can apply for the Saudi visa. Those who want to apply earlier must provide a medical certificate issued by an authorized hospital in the UAE, indicating that they are free from the coronavirus (Covid-19); the certificate must be issued no earlier than 24 hours before the visa application appointment and it must be attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation;
3. Applicants who have visited Mainland China, Iran or Italy must wait a minimum of 30 days from their date of arrival in the UAE before they can apply for the Saudi visa;
4. Applicants with visas issued by Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Macau SAR, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Somalia, South Korea, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam or Yemen, must cancel these visas before applying for a visa for Saudi Arabia.
5. Additionally, nationals of China, Iran and Yemen are currently not allowed to apply for a visa to Saudi Arabia due to restrictions imposed following the coronavirus outbreak.
Fragomen said it will continue monitoring the situation and will revert with additional information as developments regarding any other policies that may occur.
