• Article Listing
• |
• Search Articles
• |
• More Articles in Visas
• |
• More Articles by Expatguru

More on Visas and Dates

by Expatguru - 02/03/2010

"This article describes the various visas and the importance of adhering to the dates mentioned therein."

I would like to delve upon one of the trickiest issues concerning expatriates in Saudi Arabia, particularly those who are not familiar with the country and the region. It pertains to the daily calendar.

As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, all Government-related transactions follow the Hijri calendar and not the Gregorian calendar. The Hijri calendar is an Islamic calendar followed by the Saudi Government and typically has approximately 11 days lesser than the Gregorian calendar each year.

In Saudi Arabia, one needs a visa for even going out of the country. This is called an exit visa. If you are planning to return to the kingdom after a brief stay outside, say after an annual vacation, you must obtain what is known as an ‘Exit/Re-entry visa’. You must leave the kingdom within 3 months from the date of stamping your exit/reentry visa or you face a fine of SR1000. More important is the fact that you must definitely return before the date mentioned in your re-entry visa.

Let’s say your re-entry visa mentioned a validity of 3 months. What this means is that you must return within 3 months from the date of your departure (not the date of stamping of the visa). And the 3 months here does NOT refer to 3 Gregorian months, but 3 Hijri months, which means that you would have to return a few days lesser than three months. Several expatriates have been stranded due to this misunderstanding. I would strongly advise you to double check your return date and ensure that you are back in the kingdom well within the expiry date, or your visa would be cancelled.

Each exit/reentry visa costs SR200. This is valid for a single visit outside the country. However, you can also obtain a multiple exit/reentry visa costing SR500. This is valid for six months. A multiple visa would be issued provided your iqama (residence permit) is valid for more than 6 months. You must definitely make your first departure within 2 months from the date of visa stamping or face a fine of SR1000 in addition to cancellation of your multiple visa. Note that during the validity of a multiple visa, if you renew your iqama, the multiple visa would automatically get cancelled.

You must have your sponsor’s approval for obtaining either the single or multiple exit/reentry visa. Again, there are two types of exit/reentry visas. The first one is stuck on your passport while the second one, called an “e-visa” is a piece of paper stapled to your passport. In either case, the rules are the same. Here is a link to help you out with the date conversion from Hijri to Gregorian calendar and vice versa.
http://www.islamicfinder.org/dateConversion.php

A word of caution. It is illegal and banned in Saudi Arabia to have any kind of contact with Israel. Never ever visit Israel while you are on vacation or you would be imprisoned upon arrival. If you ever need to visit Israel while you are on employment in the kingdom, make sure that there is no mention of it in your passport.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5