Saudi visa for Qatar residents: tourist e-visa, Umrah and driving across

If you live in Qatar on a residence permit (QID), you can apply online for a Saudi tourist e-visa. Since 2023 this has been open to GCC residents of any profession, not only certain job titles. The e-visa is usually multiple-entry and valid for one year, and it covers tourism, family visits and Umrah, but not Hajj. You pay a visa fee plus mandatory medical insurance, and approval often comes within minutes to a few days. This guide is for workers and families in Qatar. Follow it in order: check you qualify, choose the right visa, apply and pay, then sort out Umrah permits on the Nusuk app or, if you are driving, your car paperwork for the Abu Samra (Qatar) and Salwa (Saudi) border.

Before you start

• Passport valid for at least 6 months from your arrival in Saudi Arabia
• Valid QID with at least 3 months left (renew first if it is close to expiry)
• Clear scans of your passport photo page and both sides of your QID (JPG or PNG, kept small; some forms limit uploads to about 1 MB)
• Recent colour photo with a white background, as a digital file
• A debit or credit card for online payment, and an email address you check
• Your planned arrival date and the city or airport you will enter through
• For children under 18 and other family members: their own passports, QIDs and photos; each person needs a separate visa
• If you plan Umrah or to visit the Rawdah in Madinah: the Nusuk app installed and an account created
• If driving: Istimara (vehicle registration) and Fahes inspection in date, Qatar driving licence, and no unpaid traffic fines
• If the car is not in your name (company, leased, financed or a friend's): written permission and a vehicle exit permit issued in your name through Metrash

Step by step

1. Check that you qualify

   Saudi Arabia lets residents of all GCC countries, including Qatar, apply for the tourist e-visa regardless of the job title on their QID. Your passport needs at least 6 months of validity and your QID at least 3 months. Anyone travelling without a parent must be 18 or older; children are added through a parent's application. If your QID is close to expiry, renew it first, because the system checks your residency and expired or nearly expired permits are a common reason for delays and refusals.

   Read guide: Renew your Qatar ID →

2. Choose the right visa for your trip

   Most Qatar residents should get the tourist e-visa: it covers holidays, visiting family and Umrah, and you can use it whether you fly or drive. If you are only passing through Saudi Arabia on a Saudia or flynas flight to somewhere else, a free stopover visa of up to 96 hours may suit you better (see step 9). Hajj is never allowed on a tourist or stopover visa; it needs a separate Hajj visa and permit. Work, business and long family visits also need other visa types, which are handled through the Saudi visa platform or a visa centre.

3. Get your documents ready

   Scan your passport photo page and both sides of your QID so the text is sharp and nothing is cut off. Prepare a passport-style photo with a plain white background. Write down your QID number and expiry date exactly as shown on the card or in the Metrash app. Blurry, cropped or mismatched documents are one of the most common reasons an application gets stuck, so take a minute to check them before you start.

   Read guide: Get your Qatar ID (residence permit) →

4. Apply on the official Saudi visa platform

   Go to the unified Saudi visa platform, KSA Visa (ksavisa.sa); the Visit Saudi website (visa.visitsaudi.com) also leads to the e-visa application. Create an account and activate it from the email you receive. Choose a tourism visit, enter your nationality, and pick the option for GCC residents. Then enter your arrival date, single or multiple entry, and the Saudi mission in Doha, followed by your personal, passport and QID details, uploading each document when asked. Type your name, date of birth and passport number exactly as they appear in your passport.

5. Choose insurance and pay

   Medical insurance from a Saudi-approved insurer is mandatory, and you buy it inside the application before paying. The price depends mainly on your age and the policy offered, so it can be small for young adults and much higher for older applicants. You then pay the visa fee and application fee by card and get a transaction or application number; save it so you can track the visa. Processing and service fees are generally not refunded if the visa is refused, so double-check everything before you pay.

6. Add your spouse, children or domestic worker

   Family members and domestic workers who live with you in Qatar can also apply, but each person needs their own visa and their own insurance. A parent or guardian applies for children under 18. Dependants whose residency is linked to yours should plan to travel with you, and keep marriage and birth certificates handy in case you are asked. Apply for everyone at the same time so your approvals arrive together.

   Read guide: Bring your family to Qatar →

7. Track, check and print your e-visa

   Many Qatar residents get approval within minutes, but it can take up to three working days or longer, especially before Eid and school holidays. If the status shows 'Sent to Embassy', the application is with the Saudi mission for extra review; wait, and contact the platform's support line if it stays there for days. When the e-visa arrives by email, check your name, passport number and dates letter by letter, then save a copy on your phone and print one. The visa is linked to the passport you applied with, so carry that passport and your physical QID.

8. Plan Umrah and Rawdah with the Nusuk app

   Umrah is allowed on the tourist e-visa, but you also need a permit for the date and time you will perform it. Book it in the Nusuk app (or nusuk.sa) after you have your visa, and add each companion so they get their own permit. Visiting the Rawdah inside the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah also needs a separate time-slot permit from Nusuk, and slots fill up quickly. Umrah permits are stopped for weeks around Hajj: in 2026, Nusuk stopped issuing them from 18 April to 31 May, and entry to Makkah was limited to people with Hajj or work permits. Check the Nusuk app for the current season before you book flights or hotels.

9. Flying through Saudi Arabia? Consider the stopover visa

   If you have a connecting flight through Riyadh, Jeddah or another Saudi airport on Saudia or flynas, you can request a stopover visa of up to 96 hours when booking or through the airline's stopover page. The visa itself is free, but you pay mandatory insurance and processing fees, and the application is completed on the Saudi visa platform. It is single-entry and cannot be extended. You can perform Umrah on it if you book a Nusuk permit, but it is not for driving across or for repeated short stays.

10. Driving? Get the car ready before you leave Qatar

    Make sure your Istimara and Fahes inspection are valid and that there are no unpaid traffic fines, because since 1 September 2024 people with unpaid fines cannot leave Qatar by land, air or sea. Cars going to another GCC country do not need a vehicle exit permit when the owner, or someone the owner authorises, is driving. If you are driving a car that is not in your name, the Ministry of Interior's Vehicle Exit Permit service in Metrash (Traffic services, then Vehicles) lets the owner add you as the driver. You can also pre-register your trip in Metrash under Travel to speed up the Abu Samra crossing; add every driver and passenger, then keep the confirmation message.

    Read guide: Renew your car registration (Istimara) in Qatar →

11. Buy Saudi car insurance and cross at Salwa

    Your Qatar car insurance does not cover Saudi Arabia. Every foreign vehicle needs Saudi third-party insurance, which you can buy online at manafith.com.sa or in the Manafith app, ideally the day before you travel; you enter the trip dates, border, plate and chassis number, and the policy is linked to your car. After Qatar exit formalities at Abu Samra, you pass Saudi immigration and customs at Salwa. First-time visitors are usually asked to give fingerprints and a photo, and at busy times the whole crossing can take several hours. Keep your visa, QID, passport, Istimara, licence and insurance in one folder, and do not carry alcohol, drugs, unregistered medicines or supplements, fireworks, laser pointers, radar detectors or hidden-camera devices.

    Read guide: Leaving Qatar for good: a step-by-step exit checklist →

What it costs

Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.

Common mistakes

• Applying with a QID that has less than 3 months left. Renew it first, then apply.
• Typing your name or passport number differently from the passport. Even one letter can delay or block the visa.
• Renewing your passport after the visa is issued and travelling on the new one without checking. The visa is tied to the passport number you applied with.
• Booking an Umrah trip without a Nusuk permit, or during the weeks around Hajj when Umrah permits are suspended.
• Driving a company, leased or borrowed car without the owner's permission and a vehicle exit permit in your name.
• Assuming your Qatar car insurance works in Saudi Arabia. You need separate Saudi third-party insurance.
• Leaving traffic fines unpaid. You can be stopped from leaving Qatar until they are settled.
• Packing medicines without a prescription, or supplements not registered in Saudi Arabia. Carry a prescription and declare medicines at customs.

Questions people ask

Official sources

• KSA Visa: unified Saudi visa platform ↗
• Gulf News: how GCC residents apply for the Saudi e-visa, with fees ↗
• Nusuk: Umrah and Rawdah permits ↗
• The Peninsula: what motorists need to know before leaving Qatar by car (July 2026) ↗
• Gulf News: buying Saudi car insurance on Manafith ↗
• ZATCA: Saudi customs rules for travellers (prohibited items and declarations) ↗

Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.

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