Saudi Arabia Travel Guide: Entry Rules, Money, Transit and What to Know Before You Go

Visiting Saudi Arabia for leisure or religious pilgrimage requires understanding the country's official visa categories. Foreign visitors can apply for an electronic tourist visa through the official Ministry of Tourism portal at visa.visitsaudi.com. The tourist e-visa is issued as a multiple-entry permit valid for roughly one year, allowing a maximum stay of up to 90 days per visit. This visa covers general tourism activities as well as performing Umrah, though it explicitly does not permit performing Hajj, which requires dedicated pilgrimage arrangements. Regardless of your nationality or visa category, your passport must have at least six months of remaining validity from your date of arrival.

Recent administrative updates have expanded entry pathways, though travellers should treat these as evolving developments to verify rather than fixed permanencies. E-visa eligibility has reportedly expanded to citizens of more than 60 countries. Transit passengers flying through Riyadh or Jeddah may also take advantage of a reported 96-hour free Stopover Visa, while a newer Package Visa is currently noted for a limited group of six countries. Because these programs continue to develop, check current eligibility directly on the official portal before booking flights.

When budgeting for your application, avoid third-party agency estimates or static fee summaries. Published reports cite conflicting figures for the standard tourist e-visa—such as SAR 535 versus a reduced SAR 300 rate mentioned for specific nationalities. Because fees vary and can change without advance notice, check the live fee schedule directly on visa.visitsaudi.com during your application process rather than relying on unconfirmed quotes.

The official currency of Saudi Arabia is the Saudi Riyal (SAR). The currency has been pegged to the US Dollar at a fixed rate of 3.75 riyals per dollar since June 1986. This long-standing monetary peg provides stability against dollar-denominated expenses, meaning travellers calculating costs from US dollars face consistent conversion math. If your funds are held in other global currencies, your exchange rate against the riyal will fluctuate in line with the dollar's movement on international foreign exchange markets.

Cashless payment adoption is high across Saudi Arabia and continues to expand rapidly. While official authorities have not confirmed a single national adoption percentage, digital transactions dominate daily retail and hospitality. Contactless payment cards from international networks like Visa and Mastercard work alongside mada, Saudi Arabia's domestic debit network, which you will see displayed at checkout counters nationwide. Mobile wallet platforms including Apple Pay and Google Pay are broadly supported at point-of-sale terminals in hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, and shopping malls.

For visiting travellers, navigating day-to-day spending without cash is generally straightforward, though carrying a small amount of physical riyals remains sensible for minor informal expenses. Travellers may also come across the Visitor Card offered through the urpay mobile application, which links to a visitor's entry or border number as a tourist-specific payment method. Because local digital wallet services can update their features or access rules, treat this as an option worth asking about upon arrival and verify that it remains operational for your trip.

Urban transit in Saudi Arabia's major metropolitan centres is evolving, with Riyadh anchored by its automated, driverless metro network. The Riyadh Metro operates driverless trains across modern underground and elevated lines, offering an efficient way to traverse the capital without getting caught in dense surface traffic. When budgeting for city travel, the metro serves as the cheaper transportation option, while taxis and ride-hailing services represent a higher cost tier. Transit fares remain subject to operational adjustments, so check official station portals for current ticket pricing.

For point-to-point journeys across both Riyadh and Jeddah, app-based ride-hailing is an everyday staple for visitors and residents alike. Both Uber and Careem operate extensively in both cities, functioning as separately branded platforms despite their shared corporate ownership. Vehicle availability is generally strong across urban districts, airport terminals, and commercial centers. Because pricing algorithms can vary between platforms during peak hours and high-demand periods, comparing fares on both apps before confirming a booking is a reliable and practical habit.

Public dress expectations have evolved, though clear community standards remain. Contrary to older stereotypes, foreign women are no longer legally mandated to wear an abaya, reflecting an official policy shift dating to a 2018 statement. However, visitors should never assume there is no dress code: modest clothing covering shoulders and knees is still strongly expected in public spaces. Alcohol regulations are absolute: alcohol is entirely illegal nationwide, with no exceptions, licensed hotel venues, or tourist exemptions. Public photography is also strictly regulated. Photographing military or government buildings is prohibited, taking photos of people—especially women—without prior consent carries real legal risk, and flying drones requires an official permit.

Legal protections for LGBTQ+ travellers do not exist under Saudi law, where same-sex sexual relations are criminalized under Sharia. The practical reality requires careful navigation: discretion is essential, and public displays of affection should be avoided by all travellers regardless of orientation. At the same time, official tourism promotional campaigns from Visit Saudi have stated that LGBT visitors are welcome to visit the country. This creates a genuine and documented tension between promotional tourism messaging and the underlying legal framework, and travellers should understand that statutory laws remain unchanged and fully enforceable.

The most critical legal warning for any visitor concerns Saudi Arabia's severe drug enforcement. Drug laws are enforced with extreme strictness: drug trafficking and smuggling can carry the death penalty, while simple possession can lead to lengthy prison sentences, substantial fines, and deportation. Cannabis, CBD products, and THC derivatives are entirely illegal under all circumstances, with zero tolerance for trace amounts. Furthermore, certain common prescription medications—such as codeine and specific treatments for ADHD or anxiety—are classified as controlled substances and require an advance permit from Saudi authorities prior to arrival. Never attempt to transport unauthorized pharmaceuticals or restricted substances across the border.

Timing a visit to Saudi Arabia depends heavily on regional climate extremes. The most comfortable window for travel spans the cooler winter months from November through February. During this period, daytime conditions across the inland plateau around Riyadh are mild and pleasant, while coastal Jeddah experiences comfortably warm weather. By contrast, the summer months from June through August bring intense heat across the interior desert, while Jeddah's heavy coastal humidity creates physically challenging conditions for outdoor sightseeing even when evening temperatures seem moderate. Outdoor itineraries are best scheduled during the winter season.

Travellers should also factor the Islamic holy month of Ramadan into their planning. Because Ramadan follows the lunar calendar, its dates shift roughly eleven days earlier each year, with the exact start and conclusion confirmed only shortly before by official moon-sighting authorities rather than fixed calendar appointments. During Ramadan, daytime restaurant operations, cafes, and public dining are substantially restricted or closed until sunset, while commercial activity shifts largely into the late evening and night hours. Planning around these seasonal cultural adjustments ensures your dining and transport schedules align smoothly with local routines.

Avoid a blanket verdict on Saudi Arabia's safety — like the UAE, official guidance here is unusually fluid, and we could not load travel.state.gov directly to confirm its current wording. Search results in September 2026 indicated the US State Department was holding Saudi Arabia at Level 3 ('Reconsider Travel'), in an advisory last updated 30 August 2026, with a standing Do Not Travel warning specifically for the area near the Yemen border — treat the level as a strong indication rather than a confirmed current fact, and read the page yourself.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office guidance we could verify directly is more specific: as of its 25 July 2026 update, it advises against all travel within 10km of the Yemen border, against all but essential travel in the wider 10-80km border zone, and — notably — against all but essential travel to Eastern Province and Riyadh Province specifically, citing strikes on Saudi territory since July 2026. Because Riyadh is a primary destination for many visitors, this is not a footnote: check gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/saudi-arabia and travel.state.gov directly and close to your travel date before finalising any trip to Saudi Arabia, since this reflects an active, evolving situation rather than a stable baseline.