If you are travelling to Saudi Arabia to meet partners, view an office or sign contracts, the business visit visa is the route the rules provide for. This guide compares the visas, lists what each one allows, the documents and the fees published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and explains when a foreign manager has to switch to a work visa and an iqama.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) runs visa services on ksavisa.sa, launched alongside the older visa.mofa.gov.sa platform. Its business visit visa is described as allowing visits “for meetings, conferences, or partnerships”. That fits a founder who is exploring the market, meeting a partner or preparing to set up a company in Saudi Arabia.
There are two ways in. In the standard case a Saudi company invites you: it files the request and the chamber of commerce certifies it online. With no local host, the Ministry of Investment (MISA) investor guide lets the investor attach a document describing their business instead. This is the “visiting investor” route, launched in 2023 and later opened to every nationality.
Two other visas often come up in searches: the tourist eVisa, designed for tourism, and the work visa, which leads to an iqama and requires a company that already exists and employs you.
Table 1
| Visa | Intended use | Invitation | Validity and stay | Where to apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business visit with a host | Meetings, conferences, market visits, signing contracts | Yes, from the Saudi company, certified by the chamber of commerce | Single entry: 90 days; multiple entry: 1 year; stays of up to 90 days | ksavisa.sa (host's request), then the channel set for your nationality |
| Business visit without a host (visiting investor) | Exploring investment opportunities | No; attach a document describing your business | As stated on the visa granted | ksavisa.sa |
| Tourist eVisa | Tourism, events, family visits, Umrah (outside Hajj) | No | 1 year, multiple entry, maximum stay 3 months, cannot be extended | visa.visitsaudi.com (66 eligible countries) |
| Work visa | Employment in the Kingdom, including as general manager | Requested by the employing company on Qiwa | Leads to an iqama, renewed every year | Qiwa, then entry and iqama through Muqeem |
Documents listed in the MISA investor guide (02-2026) and on the ksavisa.sa service page. Your nationality or the consular channel may add more.
The route with an inviting company. Without a host, you file directly on ksavisa.sa with the description of your business.
The Saudi company enters the business visit request on the MOFA visa platform with your passport details and the duration and number of entries you need.
The chamber of commerce certifies the invitation online. The host then tracks the outcome on the ministry's website.
Online form, photo, health insurance and payment. Depending on your nationality the file is processed online or through a visa centre approved by the Saudi mission in your country.
The ksavisa.sa page states 1 to 2 working days once the invitation is in. Through the consular channel it can take longer; the French foreign ministry, for example, mentions up to three weeks or more.
Biometrics are taken on arrival. Keep strictly to the stay and number of entries granted: any issue at the border has to be handled by your host. The MISA guide says the visa can be extended on the MOFA website.
Fees published on the ksavisa.sa business visit page, checked in September 2026. USD 1 = SAR 3.75 (fixed peg).
Table 2
| Item | Amount | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Visa fee | USD 80 (≈ SAR 300) | Shown as refundable on the official page |
| Visa digital service fee | USD 10.5 | Non-refundable |
| Insurance digital service fee | USD 10.5 | Non-refundable |
| Health insurance | Set by the insurer | Chosen during the application; price depends on length and cover |
| Visa centre or agency | Set by the provider | Only if your file goes through the consular channel |
Setting up the company does not require you to be there: MISA registration, the articles of association and the commercial registration are done online, often under a power of attorney (see the formation steps). The business visa covers the moments when being there matters: meeting a partner or landlord, viewing a business centre, signing a lease or a commercial contract, meeting a bank.
The MISA guide explicitly lists signing contracts and forming partnerships among the uses of this visa. What it does not allow is employment: the official page says the visit must not be linked to a permanent work contract in the Kingdom. Running the company day to day as its salaried manager needs a work visa.
For the bank account, Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) rules allow opening on a passport, provided the iqama is presented within 90 days; details are on our business bank account page. Combining the bank appointment with the manager's residence formalities saves a trip.
A visit visa does not turn into a residence permit. Once the commercial registration is issued, a foreign manager follows a separate route.
Qiwa
The company, registered on Qiwa (the Ministry of Human Resources platform), requests the general manager's visa. The MISA guide provides a visa for managerial positions, issued once the CR is obtained. Book the manager's trip after this visa is issued, not before.
Muqeem
Entry on the work visa, medical check and biometrics, then the iqama (residence permit), managed by the employer on Muqeem, the General Directorate of Passports portal. Budget roughly SAR 2,000 to 3,500 for the visa and medical, then SAR 650 a year for the iqama.
No sponsor
A Premium Residency holder lives in the Kingdom without an employer sponsor, enters and leaves without a visa and files a lighter MISA application. Worth comparing if you plan to live there as an investor.
In September 2026 the official ksavisa.sa page lists a USD 80 visa fee (about SAR 300), plus a USD 10.5 digital service fee, a USD 10.5 insurance service fee and the health insurance premium. If your file goes through a visa centre, its charges come on top.
Yes. According to ksavisa.sa, the business visit visa can be single entry, valid for 90 days, or multiple entry, valid for one year, with stays of up to 90 days. The type and duration requested in the invitation determine what is granted.
A passport valid for at least six months, a photo, health insurance and, in the standard case, an invitation from a Saudi company certified by the chamber of commerce, with a copy of its commercial registration. Without a host, the MISA guide allows a document describing your business instead.
Yes. ksavisa.sa states that the business visit visa is granted to all nationalities. India and Pakistan are not on the tourist eVisa list, so the business visit visa, with or without a host, is the route to plan for; whether you file online or through a visa centre depends on your nationality and country of residence.
The eVisa terms limit it to tourism and Umrah and forbid paid employment. Visiting a trade show falls under permitted events, but for negotiations, signing or company matters the business visit visa matches the real purpose of the trip.
No. The business visit visa covers meetings, conferences, market exploration and signing contracts, but it must not be linked to a work contract in the Kingdom. A salaried manager of the company needs a work visa and then an iqama.
The MISA investor guide says the visa can be extended on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. The tourist eVisa cannot be extended under its terms.
Information verified in September 2026. Amounts and timelines are observed ranges provided for information only. Government fees are set by Saudi authorities and may change: we confirm them in writing before you commit to anything.
We fit your trips to the formation timeline: a business visa for the meetings that matter, then the manager's work visa and iqama at the right moment. A free 30-minute first call, then a written proposal.