Saudi Arabia recently made a major change to its visa policy, limiting nationals from 14 countries to single-entry visas. The move, effective Feb. 1, 2025, particularly impacts individuals who previously qualified for multiple-entry visas that enabled lengthy and repeated visits. This step is part of the wider Saudi efforts to regulate travel in general, especially since the kingdom has been concerned about unauthorized Hajj pilgrims and misuse of visas.
It comes in response to requests from travelers, businesses and people of faith who routinely visit Saudi Arabia on trips for tourism, work and family. Those travelling for Hajj or Umrah under specific pilgrimage visas are not affected by this change, but the announcement creates new struggles for many people who periodically travelled to Saudi Arabia for work on Saudi 1 year Multiple Entry Visa.
Affected Countries and Visa Changes
The new Saudi Arabia Entry Restrictions affect travelers from 14 specific nations, which are:
- Algeria
- Bangladesh
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- India
- Indonesia
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Morocco
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Sudan
- Tunisia
- Yemen
Under this revised policy, travelers from these nations are only eligible for single-entry Saudi Arabia visa valid for up to 30 days. Most of these travelers would previously have a Saudi 1-year multi-entry visa that allows you multiple times to the country in a year. The suspension of this route is likely to target business people, expatriates visiting family members and frequent business fliers.
Why the change in policy?
A major reason is to combat unauthorized Hajj pilgrims. For decades, Saudi Arabia has also imposed strict quotas on pilgrims from each country to limit how many can perform the annual Hajj season. But authorities established that some travelers were evading restrictions by entering the country and performing Hajj without permission with long-term visas. It caused congestion and logistical challenges, making it more difficult for officials to ensure the safety of all pilgrims.
This became especially urgent following the 2024 Hajj season, when over 1,200 pilgrims lost their lives due to severe heat and overcrowding. Most of those deaths occurred because unlicensed religious pilgrims slipped through into Saudi Arabia using visas for other than pilgrimage. Thus the Government took stricter measures to prevent misuse of visa and to monitor all pilgrims who were following the designated route to registration and accommodation.
The Impact on Travelers and What to Expect Going Forward
This new rule will certainly present some challenges for travelers coming from these nations. Previous attendees or attendees of business meetings or family functions or other tourism in Saudi Arabia will now need to obtain a new visa for each visit. This could mean higher costs, additional processing time and potential disruption for businesses that rely on cross-border work.
And the Saudi government insisted that the ban on multiple-entry visas is not permanent, despite the obstacles. They have promised to assess how this policy is playing out, and refine it based on future needs. But no formal schedule has been announced for consideration, or even review, of the policy.
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