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What is the COVID situation in Saudi Arabia?
Data source: Our World In Data / Data updated on May 23, 2022
Data last reviewed on: 19 October 2021
Basic facts about Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is a very large country located in Western Asia. The capital of Saudi Arabia is Riyadh and the most spoken language is Arabic. The national currency in Saudi Arabia is Saudi riyal (SAR).
What taxi apps are available in Saudi Arabia?
If you are not a local, you may have difficulty making the best use of public transportation. Using a taxi app such as Uber or Bolt is unquestionably a better method to go about cities without getting into too much touch with strangers. There may be also other local taxi apps available in Saudi Arabia.
You can use Uber in 10 cities: Eastern Province, KSA, Jeddah, Madinah, Mecca, North Saudi, Qassim, Riyadh, Southern Saudi, Tabuk. You can use Bolt in 5 cities: Dammam, Jazan, Jeddah, Medina, Riyadh.
See the full list of cities where Uber operate. See the full list of cities where Bolt operate.
Practical information
Check with your bank to determine if there are any costs for international transactions. When you use a foreign ATM, your home bank will typically charge you a fee. While some banks don't charge a fee, some charge a fixed fees for every withdrawal or provide a limited amount of free withdrawals.
When you spend money abroad with your card, you're unlikely to get the interbank exchange rate. This implies that each time you spend in a foreign currency, you may be paying a significant fee. Varying service providers may charge different markups, but they should not exceed 3% of the transaction value on average.
To reduce the transaction costs, you may choose to consider one of the travel cards offered by the following mobile banks: Wise.com, Revolut, N26 or Monose
Do people speak English in Saudi Arabia?
The official language of Saudi Arabia is Arabic. Traveling across Saudi Arabia if English is your first (and only) language may be difficult due to language barriers. You can go into someone who doesn't comprehend the word that you speak. Learn a few distress phrases, such as aid, emergency, and police, as a precaution, and of course, the most important phrase to know is “Do you speak English?”
In the EF English Competency Index (EF EPI), which assesses the language proficiency of non-native speaking countries, Saudi Arabia was ranked 97th out of 100 countries in 2020.
What socket types are used in Saudi Arabia?
There is one common plug type used in Saudi Arabia:
Type G 220 V, 230 V, 60 Hz
The sockets' shapes and voltage differ from country to country and a travel plug adapter may be required. Portable devices, such as phones, notebooks or tablets, usually handle the entire range of voltages used across the world (110-240V).
What countries need visa to enter Saudi Arabia?
Currently, citizens of 4 countries can enter Saudi Arabia without obtaining a visa. This figure includes nationals who can acquire a visa on arrival. Please note that you may be needed to get an electronic visa before arriving.
What are visa requirements to enter Saudi Arabia?
Use the list below to check visa requirements for your country to enter Saudi Arabia.
- Algeria Visa required
- Angola Visa required
- Benin Visa required
- Botswana Visa required
- Burkina Faso Visa required
- Burundi Visa required
- Côte d'Ivoire Visa required
- Cabo Verde Visa required
- Cameroon Visa required
- Central African Republic Visa required
- Chad Visa required
- Comoros Visa required
- Democratic Republic of the Congo Visa required
- Republic of the Congo Visa required
- Djibouti Visa required
- Egypt Visa required
- Equatorial Guinea Visa required
- Eritrea Visa required
- Eswatini Visa required
- Ethiopia Visa required
- Gabon Visa required
- Gambia Visa required
- Ghana Visa required
- Guinea-Bissau Visa required
- Guinea Visa required
- Kenya Visa required
- Lesotho Visa required
- Liberia Visa required
- Libya Visa required
- Madagascar Visa required
- Malawi Visa required
- Mali Visa required
- Mauritania Visa required
- Mauritius Visa required
- Morocco Visa required
- Mozambique Visa required
- Namibia Visa required
- Niger Visa required
- Nigeria Visa required
- Rwanda Visa required
- Sao Tome and Principe Visa required
- Senegal Visa required
- Seychelles Visa required
- Sierra Leone Visa required
- Somalia Visa required
- South Africa Visa required
- South Sudan Visa required
- Sudan Visa required
- Tanzania Visa required
- Togo Visa required
- Tunisia Visa required
- Uganda Visa required
- Zambia Visa required
- Zimbabwe Visa required
- Afghanistan Visa required
- Armenia Visa required
- Azerbaijan Visa required
- Bahrain Visa free
- Bangladesh Visa required
- Bhutan Visa required
- Brunei Darussalam E-visa
- Cambodia Visa required
- China E-visa
- Georgia Visa required
- Hong Kong E-visa
- India Visa required
- Indonesia Visa required
- Iran Visa required
- Iraq Visa required
- Israel No entry
- Japan E-visa
- Jordan Visa required
- Kazakhstan E-visa
- North Korea Visa required
- South Korea E-visa
- Kuwait Visa free
- Kyrgyzstan Visa required
- Laos Visa required
- Lebanon Visa required
- Macao E-visa
- Malaysia E-visa
- Maldives Visa required
- Mongolia Visa required
- Myanmar Visa required
- Nepal Visa required
- Oman Visa free
- Pakistan Visa required
- State of Palestine Visa required
- Philippines Visa required
- Qatar Visa required
- Singapore E-visa
- Sri Lanka Visa required
- Syria Visa required
- Taiwan E-visa
- Tajikistan Visa required
- Thailand Visa required
- Timor-Leste Visa required
- Turkey Visa required
- Turkmenistan Visa required
- United Arab Emirates Visa free
- Uzbekistan Visa required
- Viet Nam Visa required
- Yemen Visa required
- Antigua and Barbuda Visa required
- Bahamas Visa required
- Barbados Visa required
- Cuba Visa required
- Dominica Visa required
- Dominican Republic Visa required
- Grenada Visa required
- Haiti Visa required
- Jamaica Visa required
- Saint Kitts and Nevis Visa required
- Saint Lucia Visa required
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Visa required
- Trinidad and Tobago Visa required
- Belize Visa required
- Costa Rica Visa required
- El Salvador Visa required
- Guatemala Visa required
- Honduras Visa required
- Nicaragua Visa required
- Panama Visa required
- Albania Visa required
- Andorra E-visa
- Austria E-visa
- Belarus Visa required
- Belgium E-visa
- Bosnia and Herzegovina Visa required
- Bulgaria E-visa
- Croatia E-visa
- Cyprus E-visa
- Czech Republic E-visa
- Denmark E-visa
- Estonia E-visa
- Finland E-visa
- France E-visa
- Germany E-visa
- Greece E-visa
- Hungary E-visa
- Iceland E-visa
- Ireland E-visa
- Italy E-visa
- Latvia E-visa
- Liechtenstein E-visa
- Lithuania E-visa
- Luxembourg E-visa
- Malta E-visa
- Moldova Visa required
- Monaco E-visa
- Montenegro E-visa
- Netherlands E-visa
- North Macedonia Visa required
- Norway E-visa
- Poland E-visa
- Portugal E-visa
- Romania E-visa
- Russian Federation E-visa
- San Marino E-visa
- Serbia Visa required
- Slovakia E-visa
- Slovenia E-visa
- Spain E-visa
- Sweden E-visa
- Switzerland E-visa
- Ukraine E-visa
- United Kingdom E-visa
- Canada E-visa
- Mexico Visa required
- United States of America E-visa
- Australia E-visa
- Fiji Visa required
- Kiribati Visa required
- Marshall Islands Visa required
- Micronesia Visa required
- Nauru Visa required
- New Zealand E-visa
- Palau Visa required
- Papua New Guinea Visa required
- Samoa Visa required
- Solomon Islands Visa required
- Tonga Visa required
- Tuvalu Visa required
- Vanuatu Visa required
- Argentina Visa required
- Bolivia Visa required
- Brazil Visa required
- Chile Visa required
- Colombia Visa required
- Ecuador Visa required
- Guyana Visa required
- Paraguay Visa required
- Peru Visa required
- Suriname Visa required
- Uruguay Visa required
- Venezuela Visa required
Data last reviewed on: 19 October 2021
Is it safe in Saudi Arabia?
The U.S. State Department uses a four-level travel advisory system. The levels show how safe it is to travel throughout the world. The countries with the lowest level (1) are considered safe for visitors, while those with the greatest level (4) should be avoided, at least temporarily.
On May 18, 2022, the risk level for Saudi Arabia was changed to Level 3: Reconsider Travel.
Emergency phones in Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia Travel Advisory (United States: Department of State)
- Travel Advice for Saudi Arabia (United Kingdom: The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office)