UK ETA for Saudi Citizens

Do Saudi Citizens Need a UK ETA?

The careful wording is deliberate. It would be wrong to say that everyone in Saudi Arabia needs an ETA, or that every Saudi always does. UK requirements follow the passport and the person’s UK status, so two passengers on one flight out of Riyadh can have different answers.

An ETA is a digital permission to travel, linked to a single passport. It is not a visa, it leaves no stamp, and it does not decide whether you are admitted.

Which Saudi Document Does What?

Several documents travel together in everyday Saudi life, and only one of them matters to the ETA.

The sections below take each one in turn.

When Did the UK ETA Start for Saudi Citizens?

The ETA requirement reached Saudi nationals for journeys made from 22 February 2024. Saudi Arabia was part of the Gulf group that came in after Qatar, together with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and people could apply before that date arrived.

Guides for other countries on this site give later dates, and none of them belongs to Saudi Arabia. If you are planning a journey today, all that matters is that the requirement has been running for some time already.

How Does the ETA Differ from the Former Electronic Visa Waiver?

Saudi travellers used to rely on the UK’s Electronic Visa Waiver. It is no longer open for new applications, and UK guidance directs nationals of Saudi Arabia, like those of the other Gulf states, to apply for an ETA in its place.

• The waiver and the ETA are different systems.
• An old waiver is not an ETA, and it does not carry over.
• Instructions written for the waiver are out of date and should not be followed.

No historical figures are given here, and we point to no old pages.

Is the UK ETA the Same as Saudi Arabia’s Own Travel Authorisation?

No, and the similar vocabulary can cause confusion. Saudi Arabia has its own terminology for people entering the kingdom, including visas and travel authorisations. Those relate to travel into Saudi Arabia.

This page is only about the UK ETA, which is permission connected with travel to the United Kingdom. A Saudi eVisa, a tourist visa or a permit for religious travel is a separate thing, and none of them has any effect on a UK journey. We do not explain how those systems work.

The Saudi Passport: the Document That Carries the ETA

The Saudi passport is issued to Saudi citizens, and it is the ordinary international travel document. It is the one you enter on the ETA application, and from then on the approval and the booklet belong together.

Current Saudi passports carry an electronic chip. We could not confirm launch years or technical details from Saudi primary sources, so we state none. Either way, the chip leaves the ETA requirement untouched and does nothing to open the ordinary UK eGates.

If you hold more than one passport, decide which one you will show before you apply and stay with that choice, because the approval follows the passport named in the application.

Can the Saudi National ID Replace a Passport for UK Travel?

The National ID is the identity document issued to Saudi citizens, and it matters a great deal inside the kingdom. It is not the same thing as the passport, and it is not the passport linked to an ordinary ETA.

We make no claim that the UK treats it as a passport substitute, because it does not. Keep it for domestic use and carry the passport named in your approval on the journey.

Does an Iqama Make Me Eligible for a UK ETA?

The Iqama is the identity and residence document for foreign residents of Saudi Arabia. Inside the country it has an important legal role, and nothing here questions that.

• It is not a Saudi passport.
• Holding one does not make the holder a Saudi citizen.
• It does not make a foreign-passport holder qualify under the Saudi-citizen ETA rule.
• UK requirements follow the person’s actual nationality and immigration circumstances.

So an Iqama holder should look up the UK position for the passport they will actually carry, and not treat their residence as a nationality.

Are You a Saudi Citizen or a Resident of Saudi Arabia?

Living in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Khobar, Makkah, Madinah or any other place in the kingdom does not make a person a Saudi citizen. A large expatriate workforce and many families live there on foreign passports, and for the UK what counts is that passport.

Four things decide the UK position: the passport nationality, the travel document used, any UK immigration permission and any applicable exemption. Begin with the passport, and treat residence as background.

A simple test is to ask whose passport you will hand over at the airport. If it is a Saudi passport, this page is written for you. If it belongs to another country, the Saudi sections on identity cards and residence are useful only for understanding what they are not, and the UK rule for your own passport is the one to find. Residence in the kingdom, however long and however secure, neither adds to nor subtracts from that.

Does Premium Residency Change Anything?

Saudi Premium Residency is a long-term residence arrangement for qualifying foreigners. It is residence, not citizenship, so it does not make anyone a Saudi citizen and does not by itself make a traveller eligible under the Saudi-citizen ETA rule.

Your passport nationality remains the critical fact. We give no advice on Saudi residency law and publish no details of the scheme.

Absher and Digital Documents

Absher is the Ministry of Interior’s online services platform, with separate portals for individuals, for businesses and for government staff. Individuals include citizens, residents and visitors, which is itself a reminder that using the platform says nothing about nationality.

• An Absher account is not a passport.
• A digital version of a residence document does not create Saudi nationality.
• No digital document stands in for the passport linked to a UK ETA.

Use digital services at home and carry the physical passport abroad.

What If I Live in Saudi Arabia but Hold Another Country’s Passport?

Residents on Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Filipino, Egyptian, Jordanian and many other passports follow the UK position for their own passport and status, not the Saudi one. Having an Iqama on top of a foreign passport never turns into Saudi ETA eligibility.

Spelling out the UK position for each nationality is beyond this page, and nothing here amounts to a visa ruling for any of them. Find the rule for the passport you really hold before booking, and see whether any UK permission you have alters it.

What If I Already Hold UK Immigration Permission?

If valid UK permission already covers your trip, the current rules do not ask for an ETA as well. Examples include a UK visa, an eVisa or other digital permission, and settled or pre-settled status. Update your UKVI account details when your passport changes, and rely on your own paperwork rather than a general summary. This is not personal immigration advice; the UK visa guide sets out the broader picture.

What If I Am Saudi and British, or Saudi and Irish?

A British citizen does not need an ETA, and nor does an Irish citizen. Anyone who holds Saudi nationality together with one of those can come to the UK as a British or Irish citizen, using the passport that shows it. Saudi nationality law, and the way Saudi Arabia handles a second nationality, are not discussed.

How Should Arabic Names Be Entered on the Application?

A Saudi name is written in Arabic, and the passport prints a Latin-script rendering made up of several parts. The passport has the final say. Whenever the application asks for the name, use the Latin spelling and the sequence the passport displays.

• Do not translate your name into English yourself.
• Do not leave out a name element unless the application tells you how to proceed.
• Do not rearrange the order to suit a different convention.
• If the form wants the machine-readable lines, transcribe exactly what the passport prints.

This page lays down no naming rules and no conversion method, since the real danger is a mismatch with your passport.

Families, Children and School Groups

Wherever an ETA is required it is required per person, infants included. What a parent holds does nothing for a child, who needs a passport of their own. When a whole family leaves together, a list with one line per person and the passport each will carry prevents slips. Saudi guardian and exit rules are outside this page. See our guide to children, babies and families.

School groups have no Saudi exemption. The two school-party provisions, ETA 1.9 for France and ETA 1.10 for Germany, concern qualifying schools in those countries, so a group organised by a Saudi school cannot rely on them. A Saudi national who really studies at a qualifying French or German school might fall within one of them if every condition is met.

Travelling from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam

Travellers set out from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and the Eastern Province, and from other cities. We publish no flight schedules and promise no direct routes, and nothing here is a statement about immigration arrangements at any airport.

• Apply with the Saudi passport you will really carry.
• Make sure the booking matches the passport exactly.
• A carrier may verify digital permission before boarding.
• No printed approval is needed.
• The ETA never promises admission to the UK.

Our processing time guide discusses how long to allow.

What If My UK Journey Connects Through Another Country?

A lot of trips pass through a hub such as Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul or a European airport. Changing planes there leaves the UK requirement as it was, because that is settled by who you are and which passport you hold. Whatever the connecting country asks of you is its own affair, and we offer no view on it.

Do Saudi Citizens Need an ETA for UK Airport Transit?

The question is whether your connection takes you through UK border control. Staying airside on a qualifying connection may need no ETA; being routed landside, perhaps to reclaim luggage or switch terminals, may need one if it applies to your passport. It is wrong to claim that all transit requires an ETA and equally wrong to claim that none does. Find out from your airline how the tickets are issued, and see our transit and layovers guide.

Saudi Citizens, Ireland and the UK

Ireland, meaning the Republic, is a different state from the UK, while Northern Ireland is part of it. Going via Ireland does not cancel the ETA requirement. A narrow exemption can cover someone lawfully resident in the Republic who reaches the UK from elsewhere in the Common Travel Area, but only when all of its conditions are satisfied.

eGates, Registered Traveller and Contactless Gates

These are three separate things, and the position for Saudi passport holders differs for each.

Ordinary eGates

Not on nationality alone. Saudi Arabia is not currently on the list of nationalities with ordinary eGate access, so an electronic Saudi passport and an ETA do not create that eligibility. Follow Border Force instructions on arrival, and remember that no gate is ever guaranteed.

Registered Traveller

This is a separate programme for frequent visitors from listed countries, and Saudi Arabia is not on the current eligible-passport list. Saudi passport holders therefore cannot rely on it on the basis of Saudi nationality alone. It is also not an ETA. Our fees and processing options page covers our own service.

Contactless eGates

Contactless gates began a phased rollout in October 2026 and are initially limited to British citizens, with other eligible nationalities expected later. As Saudi nationals are not currently eligible for the ordinary gates, they cannot expect the contactless process either.

Tourism, Family, Business, Work and Study

Holidays, sightseeing and visits to relatives and friends are among the most common reasons for the trip. See our guides to tourism and visiting family and friends.

For business, an ETA allows what the Visitor business rules permit, such as meetings, conferences, negotiations and qualifying site visits. Read more in business visits.

An ETA does not itself grant ordinary employment. Keep these categories apart:

• Permitted Paid Engagements
• the Creative Worker concession
• an ordinary job, which normally needs a work visa (see the UK visa guide)

Short periods of study can fit within the Visitor rules, and our short-term study guide explains where the line falls. The ETA does not replace a Student visa where one is needed.

How Long Is a UK ETA Valid, and How Long Can I Stay?

The approval runs for as long as two years after it is granted, but it ends earlier if the linked passport expires first. Inside that period you may travel repeatedly, each arrival being judged under the Visitor rules, and a run of repeat visits must not turn into living in the UK. No 90 or 180 day formula exists.

Eligible Visitor travel lets you ask to enter for up to six months. That is a ceiling rather than a right, and an approval valid for two years does not mean a stay of two years. See our guide to ETA validity, multiple trips and new passports.

What If I Renew or Replace My Saudi Passport?

Your approval is attached to the particular passport named in the application. If that booklet is renewed, expires, is lost, stolen or damaged, or is replaced with changed details, the approval stays behind. Where an ETA is needed, plan on a new one, because no National ID, Iqama or Absher account can transfer it.

Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man

Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man each have an ETA scheme, and the requirement has applied to travel since 23 April 2026. Where the rules allow, the UK and Crown Dependency approvals are accepted by each other. The Common Travel Area follows its own arrangements, so confirm the position for your island near departure.

A Short Planning Routine for Saudi Travellers

Most mistakes come from assuming rather than checking, so a short routine helps. Begin with the people: list everyone travelling and the passport each will carry. A household might include Saudi parents, children on their own Saudi passports, and a domestic worker who is a foreign resident on another nationality’s passport. Each of them is assessed separately.

• For each Saudi passport holder with no exemption, an ETA linked to that passport.
• For anyone who holds valid UK permission covering the trip, no additional ETA where the rules exempt them.
• For anyone on another country’s passport, the UK rule for that passport, found before booking.
• For every passport, an expiry date that comfortably outlasts the trip.

Doing this before tickets are bought, rather than at the airport in Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam, leaves time to fix a problem such as a passport that is about to expire.

UK ETA Requirements for Saudi Citizens

Expect to provide:

• your Saudi passport, whichever one you will actually take
• a working email address
• a face photo that meets the application’s standard
• passport and identity data exactly as printed
• replies to the questions on the form
• a way to pay at the final stage

None of a National ID, an Iqama, an Absher account or Premium Residency can be offered in place of the passport. The requirements page lists everything, and our fees and processing options page covers pricing.

How to Apply for a UK ETA from Saudi Arabia

1. 1

   Start from the passport

   Decide which passport you will travel on. If it is not a Saudi passport, check the rule for that passport instead.

2. 2

   Rule out exemptions

   See whether existing UK permission or another exemption makes the ETA unnecessary.

3. 3

   Read the expiry date

   Make sure the passport is still valid and note when it expires.

4. 4

   Transcribe the Latin-script details

   Lift name, number and expiry from the passport itself, translating nothing.

5. 5

   Upload the photo and passport details

   Give the form what it requests, including a sharp image of your face.

6. 6

   Pick a UKETA.sg service option

   Choose the speed and handling that suit your plans.

7. 7

   Submit and pay

   Hold on to the confirmation and the reference number.

8. 8

   Watch the inbox

   Look in the junk folder too, and do not fly before the outcome arrives.

9. 9

   Use the same passport on the day

   Show the booklet named in the approval at departure and at UK border control.

Common UK ETA Mistakes for Saudi Citizens

1. Taking Saudi residence for Saudi citizenship. Living in the kingdom does not change your passport.
2. Treating an Iqama as proof of Saudi nationality. It is a residence document for foreign residents.
3. Treating an Iqama as the ETA-linked passport. It is not one.
4. Confusing the National ID with the passport. They do different jobs.
5. Mistaking Absher or a digital document for a travel passport. It is a services platform.
6. Assuming Premium Residency makes someone a Saudi citizen. It is residence only.
7. Checking UK requirements by place of residence. The passport nationality decides.
8. Mixing up the UK ETA with Saudi Arabia’s own entry terminology. They are unrelated.
9. Following obsolete Electronic Visa Waiver instructions. The ETA is the current route.
10. Relying on an old or replaced passport. The approval stays with the passport you applied with.
11. Rendering an Arabic name into English by yourself. Copy the passport’s Latin-script form.
12. Expecting an electronic passport to open the ordinary eGates. Saudi Arabia is not on that list.
13. Confusing Registered Traveller with the ETA. They are separate.
14. Supposing one parent’s ETA protects the children. Every traveller needs a separate approval.
15. Believing a school group from Saudi Arabia borrows the French or German exemption. Those rules are narrow.
16. Applying one rule to every UK transit. Airside and landside are treated differently.
17. Treating the ETA as permission to take a job. It does not give ordinary employment.
18. Taking approval as a promise of admission. The officer at the border decides.

Document Checklist Before You Travel from Saudi Arabia

• ✓The passport you are carrying is the one named in your ETA.
• ✓You know whether an ETA, UK status or an exemption applies to you.
• ✓Your National ID stays a domestic document and is not packed as a substitute.
• ✓Your Iqama, if you have one, is not being treated as nationality.
• ✓Digital documents are not being relied on at the border.
• ✓The Latin-script name on the application matches the passport.
• ✓Every child has their own passport and their own ETA where needed.
• ✓For a school trip, nobody assumes the French or German rules apply.
• ✓Any renewed or replaced passport has been taken into account.
• ✓You are not relying on eGate access.
• ✓Each connection or transit stop has been looked at.
• ✓The names on the booking agree with the passport.
• ✓What you plan to do in the UK sits within the Visitor rules.

UK ETA FAQs for Saudi Citizens

Want more answers? Browse our UK ETA FAQs or contact us. You can also go back to the eligibility checker.