A stopover visa with Saudia allows for a
four-day discovery of the Kingdom
Passengers of the national carrier of Saudia can explore the wonders of Saudi Arabia for up to 96 hours, with the government’s stopover visa programme. A collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Saudi Arabia’s national flag carrier allows for passengers to seamlessly obtain this stopover visa during the booking process.
With up to four days in the destination, Saudia’s guests have the perfect opportunity to experience a taste of Saudi Arabia. Direct flights to Jeddah & Riyadh transport guests into the heart of the Kingdom and provide perfect bases to experience the cultural and historical highlights surrounding these vibrant cities. The stopover duration and ideal locations also allow for visits to unique tourist attractions, sacred sites and the opportunity to perform Umrah.
Saudia’s streamlined booking process allows guests to pay for their tickets and obtain their visas in one step on the Saudia website. The improved pathway is a digital extension of the world-renowned Saudi hospitality, which continues to be a touchstone for the Saudia brand.
The programme is applicable to all Saudia flight routes, including the new route to Phuket in Thailand that launches in December 2024.
Visitors can take advantage of the Saudia stopover visa programme and experience all that Saudi has to offer:
- November: As winter approaches, visitors can explore Jeddah and see the historical district of Al Balad (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and visit the new digital art museum presented by teamLab Borderless Jeddah. Along the waterfront, visitors can walk, cycle or relax and enjoy the sunset in the Jeddah waterfront also known by the locals as Al Kornaish. A new yacht club and marina, nearby Red Sea Mall and spectacular King Fahd’s Fountain are other great itinerary options.
- December: On 15 December, the new entertainment zone BLVD Runway will open in Riyadh, featuring unique experiences on stationary aircraft designed to provide sky-high luxury. The zone promises to bring brand-new entertainment horizons including gaming events and thrilling aircraft-related experiences. The new zone will have three converted Boeing 777 aircraft, once belonging to Saudia, that will be transformed for experiences, restaurants and more activities for the whole family. In addition, the undisputed world heavyweight boxing championship showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will take place in Riyadh on Saturday 21 December 2024. International visitors will flock to the modern capital to experience the world-class sporting showcase. Riyadh will again host the Middle East's largest music festival, MDLBEAST Soundstorm, bringing together more than 100 international DJs and big-name musicians
Using the stopover visa, guests can then fly on using Saudia’s network of domestic services to some of the other iconic Saudi sights – or beyond to destinations in Asia, Africa and North America.
Saudia is the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Established in 1945, the company has grown to become one of the Middle East’s largest airlines.
A member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO), Saudia has also been a member airline in SkyTeam, the second largest alliance, since 2012.
Saudia was recently awarded the "World Class Airline 2024" for the third consecutive year at The APEX Official Airline Ratings™ awards. Saudia has also advanced 11 places in the Skytrax airlines ranking of the World Best Airlines 2023. The Airline also ranked top among global airlines for best on-time performance (OTP) according to a report by Cirium.
