The state of Saudi Arabia is a real kingdom. Moreover, it is the largest in its territory among the rest of the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. It is Saudi Arabia that has such popular pilgrimage sites for Muslims as Mecca and Medina.
The country's borders pass near the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, and its direct neighbors are Yemen, the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Oman. The capital of saudi arabia the map shows riyadh. It is from here that the bulk of the world's oil products are exported.
Theocracy rules in the country, that is, religion prevails over secular foundations. Islam plays a major role in the life of residents. Almost the entire territory is covered with deserts with small mountainous terrain, which is not so attractive for modern tourists. However, obtaining a visa is also not an easy task.
Tourist visa
In fact, not everyone can apply for a visa to Saudi Arabia. The government does not consider it necessary to develop the tourism industry. That is why it is impossible to obtain a tourist visa to Saudi Arabia for both Russian citizens and the rest of the people of our planet, because it simply does not exist. Neither individually, nor in a group. The exceptions will be pre-organized groups, which will have to be accompanied by representatives of local operators, but this option is extremely rare.
This is an amazing fact, because the country is home to one of the most beautiful seas - the Red Sea, which is wildly popular in Egypt. But maybe in one day the authorities will change their minds and decide to use these excellent resources for the construction of luxury hotels. In general, a visa to Saudi Arabia for individual travelers who love to explore this world with savages remains in their dreams for now.
What visas are available
Visas to Saudi Arabia for citizens of Russia are available in the following options:
- Student.
- Business.
- Transit.
- Workers
- Guest (only if the person has direct relatives in the state).
To apply for the above entry documents, applicants should contact the embassy or consulate, as well as the Saudi Arabia Visa Application Center in Moscow. But, in addition to collecting documents, the applicant must be prepared for an interview with a diplomatic worker. Moreover, if a person answers the provocative questions about the tourist destination positively, then, most likely, he will be denied a visa to Saudi Arabia.
Plus, the embassy is initially entitled to refuse the applicant without explanation. By the way, it is necessary to get acquainted with the rules of staying in cities before departure, especially for women and their clothes.
Visa-free option
Despite such strict rules in issuing visas, you can also enter Saudi Arabia without issuing a document allowing you to cross the state border. This option is possible if a person has a transplant that does not exceed a period of eighteen hours, but if there is a transplant in less than six hours, the passenger is officially forbidden to leave the transit zone. It’s good that everywhere you can find workarounds, for example, to agree with an employee of the airport. True, you should be in the right clothes - that is, one that will cover the main parts of the body, as prescribed in Islam.
When leaving the transit zone outside the airport, the employee picks up the passenger’s ID and gives it back when the traveler returns.
But a woman traveling without male escort is, in principle, forbidden to leave the transit hall, and you can go beyond it only with a male relative. Airport staff will require proof of kinship.
What documents are required for applying for a visa?
To open any type of visa, the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Russia requires the same package of documents:
- Passport with a copy of the first page (where basic information about the applicant is indicated).
- A completed visa application form, which can be downloaded on the official website of the representative office of Saudi Arabia in Russia. You can use both English and Russian, and for connoisseurs of Arabic - and it too. It is allowed to enter information not only by hand, but also on a computer.
- Two 4 by 6 cm photographs.
- A letter of invitation from the party that will accept the applicant in Saudi Arabia.
A similar set of documents is being collected for children, plus a birth certificate and a personal foreign passport. If the child leaves with one of the parents, then an official permission for export is granted, translated and certified by a notary. The same scheme in the case of escorting a child by third parties.
Additional documents
When applying for a student visa, a foreign passport must be valid for at least six months from the date of application. The host institution provides an official paper on admission of the applicant. The student himself provides a certificate, birth certificate, medical certificate and paper indicating the presence or absence of a criminal record. For medical information, the student must be tested for HIV, hepatitis A, B, C, meningitis, encephalitis and other dangerous infections.
For a business visa, the applicant applies a document from his permanent place of work, which indicates the position, salary, information on the type of activity of the company, the date of taking office and the purpose of the trip to Saudi Arabia.
To obtain a commercial visa, the applicant provides a certificate of employment, and the company that invites him - a registration card.
How to get a visa to Saudi Arabia if a person has relatives living there? First of all, for a family entry document you will need paper confirming family ties. Plus, the receiving party provides a certificate of registration and their identity card.
Visa for religious pilgrimage
There are usually no tours to Saudi Arabia from Moscow with a tourist bias, but there are religious ones. They are attended by Russian Muslims who wish to perform the hajj. Typically, such pilgrimage trips are organized by special religious associations with offices throughout the world.
To obtain a visa for such a case, you need to contact an organization recognized by the ICA. In fact, a hajj is a rather expensive event, but a visa for such a group tour will be easier to obtain, and there are fewer questions at the interview.
Getting a transit visa
When a person uses the Saudi Arabia airport as a transfer hub from one to three days, he should apply for a transit visa. However, in this option, the embassy has the right to refuse. Documents are reviewed within five days, and the following must be provided:
- A foreign passport that will be valid for another six months after the end of the trip.
- A visa application form, which, incidentally, has a clause on the applicant’s religion.
- A visa to a third country, if one is necessary for citizens of Russia.
- Tickets to a third country.
- Two photos in color.
- A receipt confirming the payment of the consular fee.
If a woman submits documents, they will be required to require a marriage certificate or a document confirming kinship with her male escort. Single women will not be issued a visa.
Features of a work visa
It is easier for Russians to get a work visa, since in this case, partners from Saudi Arabia vouch for the applicant by sending an official invitation for employment on their own behalf. This letter is certified in the chamber of commerce of the region where the company is registered. If the business is just getting better, and for its development it is necessary to attract labor from outside, then from the same chamber of commerce and industry the inviting party takes confirmation of the importance and necessity of the Russian visit.
To get a work permit, the following documents are added to the entire folder with the documents: a diploma confirming the qualification (translated and notarized), as well as a driver’s license if the car is a constant companion of a foreign worker.
Registration cost
Perhaps a separate paragraph should indicate how much a visa to Saudi Arabia and additional fees cost. So, the consular fee will depend on what type of visa a person draws up. For example, a commercial single entry visa costs $ 180 (more than 11 thousand rubles), and a multiple entry visa costs 300 (almost 19 thousand). A single-entry business visa is $ 55 (3.5 thousand rubles), and a multiple-entry visa is 140 (about 9 thousand rubles). A family or guest visa costs $ 180. A work visa is $ 15 (950 rubles), but a student visa is free. Visa fee - $ 65 (4 thousand rubles).
But, in addition to the above amounts, there is also a fee for entering and leaving the country. In the first version, a person at the border gives 533 US dollars (33.7 thousand rubles), and in the second - 53 (3350 rubles). By the way, having an Israeli visa, you can encounter an almost absolute refusal. The indicated religion of the applicant also plays a large role in the refusal. Do not forget that Saudi Arabia is a fairly conservative Islamic country.
Visa Application Center in Moscow
In order to apply for a visa to Saudi Arabia, you should visit the visa center of this country in Moscow. It is located at 38A Bolshaya Yakimanka Street, fourth entrance, first floor.
Office hours: Monday to Friday - from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a lunch break for an hour from 12 a.m. At the same time, visa applications are accepted from 9:30 until noon, and the issuance of ready-made documents from 9:30 to 15:00.
You can get to the visa center by metro, choosing one of the following as the terminal station: metro station "Oktyabrskaya", metro station "Polyanka". And all the detailed information about the work of the center should be found on its official website. But it is worth remembering that the employees of the visa center also do not guarantee approval of the receipt of an entry document, it all depends on the last word of the embassy officer.