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 How To Obtain Business Visa to Saudi Arabia

            Indian businessmen generally like to visit Saudi Arabia to see the prospects of their products/service.  However, procedures involved in obtaining a business visa are other cumbersome for them unless they follow the correct procedures.

            The easy was to start business is to establish initial contacts with potential Saudi importers through correspondence.  However, for serious exporters, the advantage of visits to Saudi Arabia to establish personal rapport with the buyers concerned would far outweigh the travel expenses.  It is best to obtain the business visa for Saudi Arabia through a Saudi company who may be interested in importing goods from an Indian company.

Business visa can be obtained by the following methods

  1.       Visa through a Saudi importer:  The easy way to start business is to establish initial contacts with potential Saudi importers through correspondence.  The list of importers of the respective products can be obtained from the Consulate.

  By this means, there are two ways of obtaining visa

  (a)  The Saudi company will prepare an invitation letter, which shall be attested by Chamber of Commerce and Industry and also by Saudi Foreign Ministry.  The original of that invitation has to be sent to the Indian partner.

The Indian company has to produce this letter in Saudi Consulate in Mamba/Saudi Embassy in New Delhi.

(b)  Alternatively, the Saudi company can obtain visa.  The Foreign Ministry will send the original visa slip to Saudi Consulate or Embassy in India by their diplomatic bag.  The photocopy of the visa slip shall have to sent to the Indian company. 

By submitting this visa slip to the Saudi Consulate/Embassy, the Indian company can get the visa stamped.  This is a lengthy procedure, as the visa slip will take at least one week to reach India by Diplomatic Bag.

 Visa through Indian Associations/Authorities

            Business visa could be obtained from the Saudi Embassy in Delhi/Saudi Consulate in Mumbai with the help of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), New Delhi/the Chamber of Commerce/Export Promotion Council concerned, routed through Ministry of Commerce & Industry or Ministry of External Affairs, (Gulf Division), New Delhi.  Recently, this Mission is unable to arrange such visas.

            Officials and Official delegations visiting Saudi Arabia on business or promotional purposes should approach the Saudi Consulate/Embassy through Joint Secretary (Gulf), MEA, New Delhi to obtain visa.

Saudi Arabia has opened up the tourism sector for international visitors and started issuing tourist visas.  However, the possibility of availing tourist visas and availing avenue for business purposes is still not clear.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, KSA has recently issued the new guidelines for grant of business visa for Businessman, Investors and Companies Representatives and visit Visa, which were circulated by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (JCCI) with its reference number 5368 Dated 20/11/2005

The endeavor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to boost economic development witnessed by the Saudi economy and extend more facilities to encourage entry of the businessmen, investors and representatives of the companies and to attract further foreign investments in the Kingdom; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs  has approved the following:-

Issuance of visas by the name of (businessmen) visa to be granted by it directly to the holders and owners of the companies and establishments, heads of boards of directors, directors general and investors among the businessmen on invitation by the Saudi agency or others in such a manner that facilitates formalities of their entry to the Kingdom through the track allocated for this category and in the column of purpose of arrival in the visa, the name of inviting Saudi agency or (Chamber of Commerce & Industry) in case they applied to the Mission directly without any invitation will be recorded.

Entry visas will be granted for the purpose of commercial visit by the Missions of the Kingdom directly to the following categories:

v  Representatives and delegates of the foreign companies and establishments for whom the applications are submitted by the Federation and Chamber of Commerce & Industry and they don’t have business relationship with foreign companies and establishments.

v  Businessmen, investors and representatives of the companies from the nationalities of the countries where the Kingdom does not have its Missions shall be granted visa from one of the Missions of the Kingdom after ascertaining their commercial status provided a letter from chambers of commerce of their own countries or a note form the embassy of his country is produced.

v  Businessmen, investors and non-resident representatives, provided the concerned person possess invitation letter from Saudi company or from Saudi Chamber of Commerce & Industry and a letter from the embassy of his country ascertaining his commercial status.

v  Engineers, technicians etc. possessing commercial status and practicing business or administrative activities in the company or establishment which they belong to according to the business cards in their possession and submitted documents, as what is to be taken into account is the job practiced by the person not what is recorded in his passport.

v  Who hold diplomatic or official passports and they don’t belong to the official agencies in their countries and are not coming on official assignments and they submit their applications for visiting the Saudi companies and establishments. They shall be granted commercial (ordinary) visit visa and shall be exempted from charges with taking into consideration the principle of reciprocal treatment.

v  Female investors and businesswomen in the company of Mahrim (legitimate guardian) or if they have their Mahrim residing in the Kingdom or if their arrival in the Kingdom is along with a trade delegation, provided they are informed about the Shariah customs and traditions of the country while granting visa to them.

v  Family of the businessman, if accompanied.

v  Applications of the Saudi companies and establishments for commercial visit sent to the missions directly including the applications of the government companies such as (Saudi Airlines- Aramco) or the companies whose over 50% capital is owned by the country such as (SABIC).

v     Entry visas shall be granted for the purpose of visit by the Ministry or one of its branches to the following categories:

v  Persons coming for a temporary job and they don’t have commercial status (engineers, doctors, lawyers, university professors, teachers, computer programmers, technicians and professionals etc..) to whom the conditions of clause (Secondly- 4) do not apply. They shall be granted visas by the Ministry or one of its branches on request by the beneficiary agency in accordance with the prevailing instructions.

v  Participants in the exhibition, and processing for them shall be initiated from inside according to the statements to be submitted by the Saudi companies organizing the exhibitions to the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and will be referred to the Ministry for authorizing the concerned Mission to this effect.

v     Female investors and businesswomen without their Mahrim will be granted visa from inside on submitting an application by the Saudi companies and establishments to the Ministry or one of its branches.

Rules & Regulations Concerning Grant of Commercial Visit Visa:-

v  Recording the visa number granted to the coming person in the column of base of visa granted to his wife instead of the wording “instructions”.

v  Period of visit visa is one month and maximum three months. The visa may be granted for a period lasting six moths with multiple journeys for the persons who are required to frequently visit the companies and establishments working in the Kingdom.

v  Recording of sentence (not valid for Haj) on the side of the visit visa for Muslims.

v  There are no adverse remarks on the person required to visit or he is not from the nationalities where the instructions necessitate prior referral to the Ministry for its approval.

v  He holds passport valid for at least six months and he is allowed to return to the place where he came from at any time.

v  Mission should ascertain the commercial status of the visiting person in the manner it deems appropriate and demand a letter from the company or the agency he is working with, containing therein its commercial status.

v  Compliance with non-refusal of the applications of the Saudi companies and establishments or foreign ones in the hosting country  (without obvious and convincing justification contrary to the instructions in fact). If it appears to the Mission that it is an exceptional case requiring more clarification or further information, it should refer the same to the Ministry or one of its branches before refusing the application on urgent basis through telegram or electronic means by administrative communications system.

v  The Mission should execute the visas in general and the commercial ones in particular within (24) hours from the time of submission.

v  The applications shall be accepted either on presence personally or if the passport is sent via post or through service offices or any means which the Mission deems appropriate enabling to obtain the visa quickly as desired.

v  The specimen of the visa of (businessman) It will be intimated subsequently as mentioned above in the clause (Firstly) after the computer administration completes its design.