Saudi Arabia has been undergoing a vast and crucial transformation in recent years. Most of these changes implemented by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs aim to encourage more international visitors to visit the KSA for business and tourism-related purposes.
All recent visa policy changes that could have been observed are a part of the initiative called Vision 2030, which assumes the country’s development focused on increasing the number of foreign travelers, investors, and expatriates visiting Saudi Arabia.
Amid the Saudi traveling plans, whether a business trip or a private visit for tourism purposes, Saudi visa regulations may remain tricky. Understanding the importance of checking the Saudi visa status online is fundamental in ensuring smooth and issue-free entry and stay in the Kingdom.
Enjazit: Online Visa Service
Enjazit.com.sa is a no longer existing Saudi Arabia visa website. The website has been replaced with the updated MOFA visa platform. Applicants for Enjaz used to submit an online application, which had to be sent to the Saudi embassy (mentioned in the invitation letter).
Eligible applicants had the opportunity to complete the Enjaz registration either online or through a company authorized by the KSA embassy that operates with the Saudi embassy daily.
What is crucial is that tourists wishing to apply for a Saudi visa for tourism purposes could not complete the application via the Enjazit platform, which was dedicated to other types of Saudi visas. All the visa services handled in the past via Enjazit are now handled on the official MOFA website.
Understanding the Saudi Visa Process
The KSA embassy can grant several types of Saudi visas. Some require completing the online registration via the MOFA platform (previously Enjazit). The visa types granted via the MOFA website include the following ones:
- Government Visit Visa: This visa can be issued only to those invited by a Saudi Arabian Government Department or Institution, such as a university, ministry, government hospital, etc.; an approved visa authorization letter is necessary.
- Diplomatic Missions and Organizations: A letter from the Department of State or the relevant embassy specifying the applicant’s name, title, position, purpose and length of trip, and number of entries requested is required.
- Business Visit Visa: This visa is provided to a company or institution within the KSA to request a visit to one or more persons in managerial positions with a business relationship with the company.
- Employment Visa: This visa is granted to eligible foreign residents who plan to work in the KSA. The visa requires a sponsor, e.g., a Saudi corporation or foreign organization possessing all necessary permits to conduct business in Saudi Arabia.
- Residence Visa: A visa dedicated to those who plan to reside in the KSA for an extended period.
- Newborn Visa: A visa for those who wish to bring a newborn baby into the KSA; both parents should possess a valid Saudi work permit/Iqama, and the mother of the child must have a valid re-entry visa into Saudi.
- Extension of Exit/Re-entry Visa: This visa enables citizens and residents to extend the exit/re-entry visa online for family members or domestic workers who are outside the KSA.
- Family Visit Visa: This visa can be granted to Saudi residents’ first-degree relatives, including parents, wives, and kids.
- Companion Visa: This visa can be granted only to spouses and children under 18; kinship proof and a letter from the principal traveler are necessary.
- Personal Visit Visa: A visa issued to those travelers who plan to visit a friend based in the KSA who is a Saudi citizen or KSA resident.
- Student Visa: A visa issued to foreign nationals who have been accepted in a Saudi school or university.
Note: Applications for the abovelisted visa types must be submitted through one of the KSA embassy’s authorized visa offices registered with MOFA.
MOFA Visa Statuses For Saudi Arabia
A Saudi visa check online is essential to making further travel arrangements, such as booking a flight and accommodation. The best way to check Saudi Arabia visa online is to wait until your visa is approved. This way, you will avoid financial losses in case your visa application is rejected.
Here are possible statuses you may find when applying for a visa to Saudi Arabia:
- Pending: this status means that the immigration authorities are still reviewing the application, and no final decision has been issued yet.
- Approved: you are lucky and have been granted a visa; you are allowed to travel to the KSA for the purpose and period covered by the visa.
- Rejected: unfortunately, due to specific reasons, your application has been rejected; the reason could be, e.g., incomplete documents, wrong and false information, or failure to meet all the eligibility requirements.
- Issued: this particular status indicates that the Saudi embassy or consulate issued the final decision and you have been granted a visa; the next step will be collecting your visa and planning your trip further.
- Expired: your validity period of the granted visa has lapsed, and you didn’t manage to enter the KSA within its validity period; if you still wish to visit Saudi Arabia, a new visa application will be necessary.
Visa Rejection Status
While performing a Saudi Arabia visa check, you may receive the information that the KSA officials rejected your application. There are many possible reasons for your visa rejection. Once you experience it, you may do one of the following things that can lead to a successful visa result:
- Review the rejection reason: If you are lucky enough and receive the rejection reason, you should remember to assess it; among the most common reasons why your visa is rejected are incomplete documents, misinformation, or not fulfilling all eligibility requirements.
- Seek clarification: If no exact rejection has been revealed, you may try to contact the embassy and request more explanations.
- Reapply for your visa: If you have received the visa rejection, you may try to reapply. Rectifying the issues and submitting a new visa application form may increase your chances of getting a positive result this time.
Saudi Arabia eVisa application
Our online service enables applications for tourist visas. Saudi Arabia introduced only one type of tourist visa for tourism purposes exclusively.
The KSA eVisa is issued as a multiple-entry visa, and the visa validity is 365 days. A holder of the approved Saudi visa can enter and re-enter the Kingdom numerous times and stay there for up to 90 days. Once the 90-day stay elapses, a traveler must apply for a new visa, as no renewal or extension is available.
The approved Saudi eVisa can be used, for example, for family and friend reunions, tourist exploration, and Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca.
Saudi Arabia eVisa application should be submitted a few days prior to the date of planned arrival in the KSA. This will allow you to avoid unnecessary stress and minimize the risk of not receiving the visa approval on time.
Methods for Saudi Visa Verification on the MOFA Portal
There are a few methods of checking Saudi Arabia visa status on the MOFA portal. Choose the most appropriate for you and find out what the status of your visa processing is.
Saudi Arabia Visa E-Number Check
Currently, it is possible to make a visa check online via the MOFA visa platform by simply providing a visa-issued MOFA number, sponsor ID, and the visa-issuing authority details. Just make sure to provide all the required details, and all the latest information about your visa will be displayed.
Saudi Arabia Visa Check By Passport Number
If you wish to check your Saudi visa status online using your passport, it is possible by providing your passport number on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs portal. Once you are on the website, choose ‘visa application’ as the inquiry type, enter your MOFA application number and passport number, and ensure you enter the correct Captcha code. Next, just click the ‘Search’ button.
Provided that all of your information has been entered correctly, all the details concerning your current visa status will be automatically displayed.
Saudi Arabia Umrah eVisa Check
You can check the status and validity of the Umrah visa application online. Start by selecting the barcode option, choose ‘passport number’ and ‘first name’ as the first and second value, put your passport and visa numbers, select your nationality, and enter the correct Captcha code.
Next, click the ‘Inquire button, and a window with your Umrah visa status will be displayed. If the visa has already been approved, you can print it or download it in a PDF format.
You can also see two other statuses – ‘No Umrah visa request available’ – if the application must still be submitted to the KSA embassy and ‘The Umrah visa request sent to the embassy’ – if it has not been stamped yet.
Saudi Arabia Hajj Visa Check
Foreigners who wish to visit Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage must obtain a Saudi Hajj visa. This visa type cannot be obtained at the Saudi embassy or abroad mission. The only way to request a visa is through a travel agent authorized by the KSA Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
The Hajj visa check depends on the travel agent, the only body that can reveal updates on the application status.
Saudi Arabia Visa Application Status
To verify the status of your KSA visa application, you may need to enter the information concerning your application number, visa document number, visa application number, and passport details. Find application data before you decide to check your visa status. The application number will be sent to you as soon as you submit your visa application. The visa document number is the number issued as part of your visa documents. Also, you will be provided with a specific visa application number.
Sometimes, you may also be asked to put your passport data and the application reference number to access the status of your Saudi visa successfully. Do note that the required information may differ depending on your circumstances and the requested Saudi visa type.