This business is a private, third-party company and is not affiliated with, authorized by, or an official part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian Embassy or the Saudi government.
If you are travelling to Saudi Arabia for business, you need a Saudi business visa. Since 6 November 2023 the embassy also asks every UK applicant to attend in person for biometrics. We handle the whole process from London: reading your MOFA invitation, drafting and legalising your support letter, checking every document, and meeting you at the visa centre on the day.
Last updated: October 2026
Biometric appointment: what is new
The Saudi Embassy now asks all UK applicants to give biometric details as part of the application. This happens in person, by appointment only, at the Visa Application Centre in London next to Marylebone station. We book it for you once your pre-check is done. The appointment takes about an hour.
Saudi business visa types and validity
A Saudi business visa is a commercial visit visa. It lets you travel for meetings, contract talks, supplier visits and trade. It does not let you work, take up residence, get an Iqama, or rent property. Those need a work visa.
| Type | Entries, validity and stay |
|---|---|
| Single entry | One entry. Valid for 3 or 6 months. Usually up to 90 days. |
| Multiple entry | Multiple entries within the validity. Valid for 6 months, 1, 2 or 5 years for UK passport holders; up to 2 years for most other nationalities. Usually up to 90 days per visit. |
Your MOFA invitation sets which option you qualify for. If you travel several times a year, a longer multiple-entry visa saves you re-applying each trip.
Who needs a Saudi business visa?
You need one if you are a UK resident travelling for commercial reasons with a Saudi company inviting you. Typical purposes and roles:
- Purposes: meetings, conferences, discussing projects, meeting clients, opening a new branch or office. Office-based work, not manual labour.
- Common job titles: Director (sales, product, technical, general), CEO, Consultant, Advisor, Manager, HR, Administration Officer, Representative, Partner, Company Owner.
You cannot use this visa for tourism, employment or residency. If you are not sure your invite qualifies, send it to us and we will check it before you pay any embassy fee.
How the process works
Your Saudi company starts it. We run the UK side from start to finish.
- Read your MOFA invitation. Your inviting company sends you a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) letter of invitation. It arrives in Arabic with a barcode in the top-left corner. You can read the details yourself using our decode guide, or email it to us for a free Arabic translation.
- Draft your employer support letter and gather your documents. Complete the support letter on your company letterhead and sign it in ink. Our support letter guide walks you through it. Upload it with your other documents and your appointment preferences for our free online pre-check, where we catch problems before the embassy does.
- We prepare, legalise and book. We attest your support letter at the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce, put your application pack together, and book your biometric appointment for the times you chose.
- Meet-and-greet at the visa centre. Our team member meets you outside the centre shortly before your slot and hands you your prepared pack. The appointment, including waiting, takes about 1 to 1.5 hours. You pay the embassy visa fee at the centre by Visa or Mastercard. Amex is not accepted.
- Visa issued and passport returned. The embassy holds your passport for about 3 to 4 working days. Your visa is usually emailed as a PDF on the second or third working day. You can have your passport sent by DHL or collect it, and you get an SMS when it is ready. The embassy visa department is open Monday to Thursday and closed on Fridays, so processing days do not include Fridays.
What you need to provide
Everything is uploaded for pre-check first. Two items you bring on the day.
- Order form, completed at rapid-visas.co.uk/order. This covers our service and legalisation fee. The embassy visa fee is paid at your appointment.
- MOFA letter of invitation from your Saudi company.
- UK employer support letter, on company letterhead, to our template, signed in ink. Photocopies and digital signatures are not accepted. If your employer is registered abroad, the letter must first be legalised by the Saudi embassy in that country, so contact us.
- Applicant information form and appointment preferences.
- Copy of your passport datapage.
- Passport with at least 6 months validity and two clean facing pages, no Israeli stamps. Bring this to the appointment.
- Two passport photos, 35mm x 45mm. Bring these to the appointment.
- Non-UK passport holders also send proof of UK residency. EU nationals use a share code for their immigration status. Non-EU nationals use their UK Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).
- Renewing? If your current Saudi business visa is still valid, you cancel it and reapply. Include a visa cancellation letter (template) and a copy of the existing visa.
Saudi business visas for non-UK passport holders
You do not need a British passport. You need to be a UK resident. We regularly process Saudi business visas for UK residents who hold other nationalities. You simply add proof of UK residency: a share code for EU nationals, or a BRP for non-EU nationals. Everything else is handled from London. The tourist eVisa does not cover this route.
Your MOFA Arabic invitation
The invitation is issued by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and emailed to you in Arabic. It holds the details you need for your support letter. Email or upload it to us and we will translate it free, or follow our step-by-step decode guide to read it yourself. The invitation number must appear on your support letter, and the letter must be dated within one month and show your travel date.
Saudi business visa cost
Your total is our fees, paid up front with your order, plus the embassy visa fee, paid at your appointment.
What you pay us:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Rapid Visas service fee | £386 + VAT |
| Chamber of Commerce legalisation, our handling | £75 + VAT |
| Chamber of Commerce legalisation, ABCC charge | £36 + VAT |
Embassy visa fee, paid at the appointment.
UK passport holders:
| Visa | Fee |
|---|---|
| 3 or 6 months, single entry | £157 |
| 6 months, multiple entry | £157 |
| 1 year, multiple entry | £541 |
| 2 years, multiple entry | £541 |
| 5 years, multiple entry | £883 |
Other passport holders who are UK residents:
| Passport held | Visa and fee |
|---|---|
| Rest of world (excluding USA) | 3 months to 2 years, multiple: £101 |
| EU or Schengen | All types, all durations: £101 |
| Indian | 3 months to 2 years, multiple: £101 |
| USA or Turkish | All types, all durations: £128 |
| Japanese | All types, all durations: £137 |
Embassy visa fees are exempt from VAT. Our service and legalisation fees are subject to 20% VAT. Embassy fees are set by the Saudi authorities and can change, so we confirm the current fee before your appointment.
Medical insurance
Every visa issued by the embassy automatically includes travel and medical insurance for your stay, through the Saudi government’s approved suppliers. We create this through the Saudi MOFA (Enjaz) system when we process your application, then attach it to your passport with the visa. The cover usually matches the length of your visa.
Entering via the Bahrain and Saudi causeway
Travelling to Dammam? Many visitors fly into Bahrain and cross the causeway by land. The visa issued in London allows this crossing. When we complete your application on the Enjaz system we select “open visa” for travel ports, so you have easy land access.
What “not permitted to work” means
A business visa is printed “Not permitted to work”. This means you cannot reside long term, get an Iqama, rent property or take employment on it. It is fine for meetings and commercial activity. For employment you need a Saudi work visa.
Applicants outside the UK
We process UK-based applications. If you are applying from Pakistan, India, the UAE, another EU country or the US, you will usually need to apply through your local Saudi embassy. See our worldwide embassies page.
Why apply through us
- Google rated 4.9 from 261+ reviews, a real track record.
- OISC registered (Level 1, F202100258), regulated to give UK immigration advice.
- Free online pre-check. We verify every document before the embassy sees it, which removes the biggest cause of rejection.
- We read your MOFA invite, draft your support letter, and legalise it at the Chamber of Commerce.
- Meet-and-greet at the visa centre, so a real person hands you your pack and sees you in.
- UK residents of any nationality are welcome.
Saudi business visa FAQs
Saudi visas may be available directly through an official Saudi government portal for a lower fee or, where applicable, free of charge. Our fees are separate and are for private administrative assistance, document checking, application support and consultancy services.
Contact: support@saudiarabiavisa.co.uk
