Saudi Arabia Muqeem Arrival Registration
On March 6th 2022, Saudi Arabia lifted all travel restrictions for vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers, allowing international flights to and from the Kingdom to resume to their pre-pandemic volumes.
Testing and/or quarantine are no longer required regardless the traveler’s immunization status. Yet all visitors are encouraged to fill out the Registration Immunization Information Form via the Muqeem App before travelling to the Kingdom as also advised by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Exemptions apply for diplomats, governmental visa holders, US passport holders and flight-crew. On the Muqeem App visitors provide their personal details, including comprehensive vaccination information. Registration must happen no less than 72 hours before travel to the Kingdom and to do so you require your visa number that is stated on your issued and stamped visa within your passport. Needless to say, it would not be possible to complete the registration prior to obtaining your visa.
Below we will attempt to provide helpful information on how to complete the registration form. You can complete from your desktop, tablet or smartphone by clicking here. When on their homepage you can select your immunization status as per the print screen below:
and as the next step select the Country of Departure and your Nationality and lastly add your visa number as per the print screen below:
Your visa number can be found in your visa sticker/ vignette that is placed inside your passport. To help you identify the visa number on it please see below:
By clicking Submit on the bottom of the page, you may then proceed by entering your personal details such as name, date of birth, passport number, flight information and the specifics of your vaccinations (vaccine type and date it was administered).
In case you did have the third booster vaccine you might encounter difficulty in adding a date in 2021 as the calendar tool would only allow dates in 2022. The country’s guideline for the booster shot suggests being administrated eight months (instead of three months) from receiving the second dose, excluding those of specified age groups by the Health Ministry and as per their specific health status. Yet if you did have the third dose in 2021, and given that 2 doses are sufficient to travel, you can simply select “Two Doses Vaccination” from the drop-down menu and provide the specifics on them alone.
After agreeing to the terms and conditions, proceed by submitting your information. If you encounter any issues or have questions regarding the Muqeem arrival registration process, you can reach out to Muqeem at their contact number +966920000356 or email at hd@elm.sa.
Saudi Arabia Visa Mandatory Medical Insurance
All issued visitor’s visas include medical insurance from a Saudi Arabian insurance provider for the full length of the visa, apart from government visa holders, US nationals, foreign missions and organizational visits and guests of the kingdom (personal visit visa holders). The insurance is obtained during the visa application via the governmental channels and cover Covid-19 medical treatment and quarantine. The mandatory insurance covers the costs for hospital stays as well as the cost of quarantine if required. The policy number is generated separately, and a copy of the policy will be emailed to you once the visa has been issued. The specifics of coverage will be stated on the policy itself along with contact details for your specific provider in case you require further clarifications. We advise to print and keep with when in Saudi Arabia yet keep in mind that the visa itself is proof of insurance as it is connected to the visa and unless the payment is made, the application cannot be submitted and therefore the visa cannot be issued. Even if you hold a valid travel insurance, you will still need to obtain the mandatory medical insurance.
How to use the Tawakkalna Saudi Arabian App
On the 13th of June 2022 statements from the Ministry of Interior (MOI) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were released that it has been decided to lift the COVID-19 precautionary and preventive measures as per the below instructions as per the official Ministry of Health (MOH) announcement.
Mask-wearing is no longer required by law for closed areas, with the exceptions of:
- the Grand Holy Mosque (Masjid Al-Haram)
- the Prophet’s Mosque
- places for which protocols are issued by the Public Health Authority, Weqaya
- means of public transportation
- facilities for events and activities that wish to apply higher levels of protection
Vaccination and health status verifications via the Tawakkalna App., are no longer required, with the exception of those whose nature of work requires it as per the Weqaya protocols. The same might apply for spaces wishing to implement higher protection levels prior admission. On the Weqaya website you can find helpful information on Covid19 preventing protocols in the workplace, places of gathering, restaurants etc. If you wish to register with the Tawakkalna App, which is the national vaccination online registry and the equivalent of the NHS app in the UK, you can find information and download the app here. Do keep in mind that to do so you must have a Saudi mobile phone SIM card that you can easily obtain when in Saudi Arabia, even at the airport at the time of your arrival.
As the third and last current preventative measure the MOH is highlighting the importance of maintaining the implementation of the National Vaccination Program (NVP), including taking the approved booster doses of the vaccine which refers to nationals alone.
Disclaimer
The above information collated in September 2022 can be rapidly changed and might become outdated. We strive to provide you with the most up to date information and COVID-19 related travel restrictions, yet we ask for your understanding as Saudi Arabia may further restrict travel or bring in new regulations at short notice. We therefore advise to always check with your travel agency or airline for any changes. A helpful tool that in our experience is often updated to reflect all relevant travel requirements is the Saudia Airlines website where you can select your specifics (country you would be travelling from, destination, nationality and vaccination status) and be advised on current rules and procedures.
The following rules have been issued June 20211.
1. Non-Saudi nationals holding Tourist Visas are not allowed to enter the Kingdom during COVID-19 pandemic.
2. All arriving guests including the members of diplomatic missions accredited in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and their families (except Saudi citizens and children below 8 years of age) must provide a negative PCR test certificate issued from a verified laboratory that has been taken within 72 hours from the time of boarding. Travelers who do not provide the certificate will be denied from boarding the airplane.
3. All travelers (excluding Citizens, Residents and GCC Citizens) must have medical insurance that covers the costs of COVID-19 treatment in outpatient clinics, emergencies and hospitals, including the institutional quarantine for a period of (14) days.
4. All guests traveling abroad from the UK must complete the Passenger Locator Form before their travel via the link here.
5. All guests must download and register on Tatamman and Tawakkalna Applications.
6. Guests must assign home location through the Tatamman App within 8 hours of arrival.
7. Guests most monitor COVID-19 symptoms, and immediately call 937 if any symptoms appeared or go to primary healthcare center or emergency if necessary.
8. Guests must do daily health assessment in Tatamman app.
Saudi Arabia Visa Vaccination Doses Rules – Issued June 2021
If Unvaccinated
Unvaccinated non- Saudi nationals residents of the Kingdom and visitors must undergo 7 days of institutional quarantine at their own expense starting from the time of arrival at the institutional quarantine facilities in the city of arrival. Air carriers shall coordinate with the institutional quarantine facilities to transport travelers from the airport to the specified location by private cars or buses, depending on the choice of the travelers. They will then need to undergo two PCR Tests, within (24) hours of arrival and on 7th day of arrival. If the result is negative, they are permitted to leave quarantine on the 8th day. For more information on institutional quarantine packages, please click here.
Unvaccinated Saudi citizens: Are not required to provide a negative PCR test before traveling but must comply with home quarantine for 7 days. If tested negative on the 6th day, they can end the quarantine on the 7th day.
Unvaccinated Diplomats and their families and companions who under 18: Must provide a PCR test taken not more than 72 hours before boarding (excluding children under 8 years of age) and must also comply with home quarantine for 7 days. If tested negative on the 6th day, they can end the quarantine on the 7th day.
Unvaccinated Health practitioners and their families: Must provide a PCR test taken not more than 72 hours before boarding and
– If working in Government sectors they must comply with home quarantine for 7 days. They must test negative on 2 PCR test, one taken within 24hours of arrival and one taken on the 7th day.
– If working in Private sectors they must comply with Institutional quarantine for 7 days. They must test negative on 2 PCR test, one taken within 24hours of arrival and one taken on the 7th day.
If Vaccinated with One Dose
Partially vaccinated residents that have completed 14 days from the first dose and that has been updated on the Tawakkalna App are excluded from quarantine.The Saudi embassy have also requested that all visa applicants provide their flight bookings during their visa application process. The embassy requires all flight bookings to be either direct from the UK, or if transiting through an airport thn via a country with no Covid19 cases reported.
Partially vaccinated visitors must undergo 7 days of institutional quarantine. They will then need to undergo two PCR Tests, within (24) hours of arrival and on 7th day of arrival. If the result is negative, they are permitted to leave quarantine on the 8th day.
If Fully Vaccinated
Fully vaccinated residents that have completed 14 days from the second dose of Pfizer BioNTech, Oxford AstraZeneca or Moderna or only dose of Johnson Johnson´s Janssen and that has been updated on the Tawakkalna App are excluded from quarantine.
Fully vaccinated visitors that have completed 14 days from the second dose of Pfizer BioNTech, Oxford AstraZeneca or Moderna or only dose of Johnson Johnson´s Janssen and that has been updated on the Tawakkalna App are excluded from quarantine as long as:
– Their vaccine certificate is certified by official health authorities from the country that provided the vaccination
– Have completed the Registration Immunization Information Form within 72 hours before traveling to the Kingdom through the following dedicated website: https://muqeem.sa/#/vaccine-registration/home . That will enable them to use the Tawakkalna App.
Recovered from COVID19
Recovered residents with Immune status updated on the Tawakkalna App are excluded from quarantine.
Recovered visitors must undergo 7 days of institutional quarantine. They will then need to undergo two PCR Tests, within (24) hours of arrival and on 7th day of arrival. If the result is negative, they are permitted to leave quarantine on the 8th day.
Saudi Arabia Online EVisas and Saudi Tourist Visa Applications:
With effective from the 27th February 2020, the Saudi government in order to limit the potential spread of the Coronavirus for pleasure holidays, Umrah and upcoming Hajj, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has suspended its Saudi Tourist Visa issuance and its Saudi online evisa schemes until the government have assessed the risk factor and suitable measures. It is advised that any applicants that may have booked travel to contact their tour operator to make any necessary travel arrangements. The Saudi government have advised that they will communicate through media channels when the visa schemes for tourists will reopen.
Saudi Business Visas
For applicants that have already obtained their Business visa, travel on this Saudi visa type will still be permitted as normal. For new Saudi Arabia Business Visit Visa applications that are to be applied via the embassy in London, the normal procedures still apply, however there will be an additional form which will seek further information about your previous travel to various countries. It is likely that the embassy will also review your passport for any previous travel as well with respective stamps. The Saudi Visa Coronavirus form can be obtained by downloading our application pack via our website download pack.
Summary of Main Precautionary Measures and other Key Points Taken by the Saudi MOFA:
- Entering the Kingdom for the purpose of Umrah and/or visiting the Prophets Mosque in Medina is temporarily suspended.
- Entry to the Kingdom with a tourist visa from countries with confirmed Coronavirus outbreaks, according to criteria established by Saudi health authorities, is temporarily suspended.
- The use of national identity cards (instead of passports) for travel to and from the Kingdom is suspended.
Exceptions will be allowed for:
- Saudi Nationals who left Saudi Arabia by using their national cards
- Citizens of Gulf Cooperation Council countries wishing to return from Saudi Arabia after entering with their national identity cards
Saudi Arabia:
- Stresses that these measures are temporary and subject to continuous evaluation by the relevant authorities.
- Renews it support for all international measures to limit the spread of this virus, and urges its citizens to exercise caution before travelling to countries experiencing Coronavirus outbreaks.
