How do I apply for a tourist visa to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia?

by Kim
(Daytona Beach, Florida)

Question: I am planning to visit my students for a 2-week vacation in December 2010(not business)from the USA to Jeddah, Kuwait, Qatar, and Dubai. Do I need separate tourist visas for each country? I know that I don't need one for UAE, because I am a USA citizen. I only found business visas on the Internet, but I am only on holiday for 2 weeks in December. Please let me know how I can find the visitor's visa forms online. Do I need to send my passport to different visa agencies? Thank you for your assistance. Kim

Answer: It is important to understand that each country determines their own visa requirements and that these can change at any moment without notice. Also, travel visas usually have a specific validity from the time they are issued until you must enter the country.

I mention this because information provided today may not be valid when it comes time for you to apply for the visas. Since your trip is not until December, it is much too early to begin the process.

However, here are some things of which you should aware.

Saudi Arabia Visas

A passport valid for at least six months and a visa are required for entry. Visas for tourism are issued only for approved tour groups following organized itineraries. All visas require a sponsor, can take several months to process, and must be obtained prior to arrival.

In the past, American citizens have reported being refused a Saudi visa because their passports reflected travel to Israel or indicated that they were born in Israel, although this has not happened recently. Women visitors and residents are required to be met by their sponsor upon arrival. Women who are traveling alone and are not met by sponsors have experienced delays before being allowed to enter the country or to continue on other flights.

Qatar Visa

According to the U.S. Department of State, the Government of Qatar recently informed the U.S. Embassy that as of May 1, 2010 U.S. citizens will no longer be able to apply for tourist visas on arrival in Qatar.

However, the website of the Qatar Embassy in Washington DC states that "visas upon arrival to Qatar has been extended to further notice." Since the Qatar government is moving in this direction, you should probably plan to obtain your visa to Qatar before departing the U.S.

Please click the link below for detailed instructions to obtaining a Qatar Visa. You may want to bookmark the page so that you can refer to it when it comes time to apply.

How to Apply for a Qatar Visa

Visas to UEA (Dubbai) and Kuwait

Presently, you can get a visa to both UEA and Kuwait at the port of entry. There is no fee for the EUA visa but there is a fee for a Kuwait visa. The fee is currently 8 Kuwaiti Dinars which is a little less than $30.

Special Note

Be aware that Visitors who overstay their visit in Saudi Arabia are subject to a fine of 10,000 Saudi Riyals (or $2,667) and incarceration pending deportation proceedings. Americans should request clarification from Saudi Immigration authorities upon arrival as to the permitted length of stay. A common mistake among visitors is confusing the validity of their Saudi visa with the permitted length of stay in the Kingdom.

Visitors to Saudi Arabia should generally obtain a meningitis vaccination prior to arrival.

Also, some of these countries that you plan to visit have very rigid exit procedures. Please make sure that you follow them very carefully or you can be fined and denied future entrance.