Visa Applications / Entry Requirements: Saudi Arabia

Provided that you are traveling as a tourist, Germans and 65 other nationalities are entitled to apply for an eVisa (electronic visa) online. You can find more information about this under “eVisa”.

For the regular visa application for Saudi Arabia, biometric data (fingerprints and iris scan) is collected from all applicants. The company “TasHeer”, based in Berlin and Frankfurt, has been commissioned to do this, and applicants must submit their documents to the company in person.

You will need the following documents for a BUSINESS VISA:

• appointment confirmation
  from TasHeer
• passport photo
  original, biometric, without glasses, photo requirements
• Passport
  original, no Israeli entry, valid for at least 6 months after stay, with a free double page
• Letter of invitation
  confirmed by the Saudi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, not older than 90 days, sample of an invitation
• Extract from the commercial register (only necessary in Frankfurt)
  of the inviting company in Saudi Arabia, not older than one month, sample of this extract from the commercial register
• Secondment letter
  of the German company, in English and confirmed by the relevant Chamber of Commerce, in the original and not older than one month, sample of a company letter, content:
  - addressed to the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Berlin (Tiergartenstraße 33-34, 10785 Berlin) or the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Frankfurt (Friedrich-Ebert-An Anlage 49, 60308 Frankfurt) -> it must always be addressed to the representation in the city that is written in the letter of invitation as the place of application (in Arabic); if this is unclear, please contact us); if this is unclear, please contact us
  - Name and passport number of the applicant
  - Position of the applicant in the company
  - Travel period
  - Purpose of the trip
  - Name and address of the company in Saudi Arabia
  - Cost absorption declaration
  - The job title on the visa invitation or pre-approved visa must be identical to the job title in the German company's letter of guarantee.
• Copy of eduactional qualification
• Non-German applicants: current registration certificate (if EU citizen) or copy of residence permit for Germany (if not an EU citizen) and, if applying in Frankfurt, the original current registration certificate, not older than 6 months

Depending on the place of application and visa category, further documents may be required or may differ. Read more about this below.

Applying in Berlin or Frankfurt?

The place of application can be chosen freely. However, it is important that the recipient of the letter of invitation also matches the recipient of the company letter. This means that the company letter must be addressed to the Saudi Embassy in Berlin if the invitation is also addressed to Berlin. If the invitation is addressed to Frankfurt, the Saudi Consulate in Frankfurt must also be entered as the recipient in the company letter. However, TasHeer will charge a forwarding fee of approx. €50 if the application is submitted to the wrong location as stated in the invitation letter.

There are also some differences between the application process in Berlin and Frankfurt. For example, travelers applying for a “government visit” visa in Frankfurt do not need to make an appointment with TasHeer, but apply for the visa directly at the consulate.

Likewise, additional documents are required when processing business visas in Frankfurt:

• Copy of the commercial register of the sponsoring company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Original of the bachelor's degree certificate for lawyers, architects, engineers, doctors, project managers, technical managers. For all other qualifications, with the exception of sales/area/export/marketing/trade managers, the original of the diploma or university degree is required, which is related to the company's activities and the employee's job title. Original of diploma or proof of experience for vocational and technical professions for technicians, mechanics, installers and skilled workers.

If you apply for the visa in Berlin, but your invitation was issued for Frankfurt, the following additional documents are required:

• two high-resolution passport photos on a white background.
• The two passport-size photos must match the photo taken at the appointment during the biometric data collection at the visa application center (moustache, beard, hair length/color, tan, etc. can lead to inconsistencies with the photo taken during the biometric data collection). Therefore, it is advisable to take the two passport-sized photos on the same day at the visa application center.
• Non-German applicants: a current certificate of residence, not older than 6 months (non-EU citizens also need to submit a copy of their residence permit that is valid for at least another 6 months)
• The passport must not contain any conditions that prevent the passport holder from entering Saudi Arabia.

We recommend - if possible - applying in Berlin with an invitation also issued in Berlin.

Please note:

An appointment to reapply for a visa in the same category can only be made if the existing visa is valid for a maximum of 7 days at the time of application, otherwise the visa must be canceled. For this, a cancellation letter is required, which must be requested by the Saudi company from the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs (analogous to the application for the invitation letter).

Processing time (without guarantee):
approx. 4-5 working days from appointment
The Berlin Embassy / Frankfurt Consulate no longer affixes visa labels in the passport, except for government visas and transit visas. The visas are sent by email. However, the application
process for applicants remains the same as before. The visa is returned to the applicant by email and the passport by courier.