Since September 2019, the process of issuing a tourist visa for Saudi Arabia has undergone a major overhaul. From now on, the visa will be issued electronically, also known as an e-Visa. Currently reserved for nationals of 42 countries, including France, it is obtained on the basis of a file provided by the applicant. The application includes various documents, including the passport. Given the diverse nationalities of applicants for tourism, there is also a wide range of eligible passports.
Passports acceptable for the e-Visa acquisition procedure
In total, nationals of 42 countries around the world are eligible to obtain an electronic tourist visa for Saudi Arabia. However, 2 main categories of passport are accepted. These are European passports and non-European passports.
The European passport
This is the passport held by nationals of the 26 member countries of the European Union. Great Britain is no longer counted as a member of this community of states.
Non-European passports
This category includes passports issued individually by each of the European countries that are not members of the EU, as well as those of the following countries:
- United Kingdom
- Andorra
- Montenegro
- Liechtenstein
- Switzerland
- Kazakhstan
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Brunei
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Japan
- Singapore
- United States
- Malaysia
- Monaco
- China
- Hong Kong
- Macau
- San Marino
- Canada
- South Korea
- Norway
It should be noted that this list drawn up by the Saudi authorities is not set in stone. It is therefore subject to change as events unfold.
Whether the applicant is a national of the European Union or any other country, the visa issued may be used for various purposes: Umrah, tourist visits, family visits and attending an event. It is valid for a period of one year. However, each stay by the applicant may not exceed 90 days.
Passport requirements
Regardless of the category to which the applicant's passport belongs, it must meet a number of requirements to be valid.
To begin with, the passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the date of entry into Saudi Arabia. Any passport due to expire during the stay is systematically rejected. In addition, the document must have two adjacent blank pages. It must not contain any pages stamped when entering or leaving Israel.
In addition to the passport, a colour passport photo is required.
If you have a problem adjusting the size of your photo, you can use a free online service to help.
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