According to usaers, Saudi Arabia (Arabic: المملكة العربية السعودية ) is a country in the Middle East (Asia) bordering Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen and Bahrain. The capital of Saudi Arabia is Riyadh (Riyadh). A number of major cities in Saudi Arabia are: Jeddah (Jedda), Makkah (Mecca), Medina and Dammam.
Saudi Arabia consists largely of desert and is known for its prosperous economy. The country has large amounts of petroleum (black gold). Saudi Arabia is home to the two most important holy places of Islam: Mecca and Medina. These cities are forbidden areas for non-Muslims. The skyline of Saudi Arabia consists mostly of skyscrapers and mosques. Saudi Arabia also has a long coastline with wide sandy beaches. You can also encounter dromedaries on these beaches. In the Red Sea you can dive for colorful fish species and coral reefs. See cellphoneexplorer for Saudi Arabia recent history.
Where is Saudi Arabia?
Travel information of Saudi Arabia
Official name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Continent: Asia
Area: 2,149,690 km²
Capital: Riyadh (Riyadh)
Country code: SA, SAU
Population: 34,173,498 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: Absolute monarchy (Kingdom)
Highest point: 3,133 m (Jabal Sawda)
Distance (Amsterdam – Riyadh): 4,668 km
Flight time: approximately 6 hours
Travel advice
Current status: All travel to certain areas in Saudi Arabia is discouraged.
Current color code: Yellow, orange and red. Due to this status, a partial negative travel advice
is in effect for Saudi Arabia.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), there may be (temporary) measures in place in Saudi Arabia that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs of Saudi Arabia, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
At the moment there are no travel organizations that offer travel to Saudi Arabia. If you want to put together your own trip or are looking for separate travel components such as hotels, airline tickets and a rental car, please visit our travel offer page.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Saudi Arabia?
Weather and climate
Saudi Arabia has a desert climate. The temperatures are around 20 degrees during the winter months and around 35 degrees during the summer months.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Saudi Arabia can be found on our extensive weather page.
Detailed information about the climate of Saudi Arabia can be found at Climate info.
Best time
January, February, March, November and December are the best months to travel to Saudi Arabia. This avoids the extremely hot summer months with associated sandstorms.
Language
Arabic is the official language in Saudi Arabia.
Would you like to translate from or into Arabic for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months upon departure from Saudi Arabia.
A visa is required. You can request this in person via the service center in The Hague. You must have made an appointment online via vfstasheel.com.
A visa for Saudi Arabia is only issued to family members and businessmen. Under no circumstances will women alone be granted a visa.
Note: Your passport cannot contain an Israeli stamp.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in Saudi Arabia: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Embassy of Saudi Arabia in the Netherlands: saudiembassy.nl.
Service center of Saudi Arabia in the Netherlands: vfstasheel.com.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
Before visiting Saudi Arabia, it is advisable to get one or more vaccinations.
For extensive vaccination advice and to make a vaccination appointment at home, please visit Thuisvaccinatie.nl. You can also see here whether your health insurance reimburses the vaccination(s).
Malaria Malaria
occurs in Saudi Arabia (with the exception of Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, Riyadh and Taïf). Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by malaria mosquitoes. This infectious disease can lead to death if not treated in time and/or incorrectly.
For prevention and control of malaria, please visit our malaria page.
Money and Currency
In Saudi Arabia, payment is made with the Saudi Arabian riyal (SAR).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs in Saudi Arabia can be found on our ATMs page. However, these do not accept Dutch bank cards.
Price level
Prices in Saudi Arabia are much lower than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is -34% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (64% cheaper), food (28% cheaper), imported beer in catering (75% cheaper), cigarettes (53% cheaper) and public transport (82% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
In Saudi Arabia it is customary to tip. If no service costs have been calculated yet, people give a tip of approximately 10-15%.
Time difference
During our summer time it is 1 hour later in Saudi Arabia.
During our winter time it is 2 hours later in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has no difference between winter time and summer time.
The local time, date and time zone for Saudi Arabia can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
In Saudi Arabia you must drive on the right.
You do not need an international driver’s license to drive and/or rent a motor vehicle in Saudi Arabia.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Saudi Arabia.
Electricity
In Saudi Arabia you may need an adapter plug and/or converter in some cases.
More information about common plugs and sockets in Saudi Arabia can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 999
– Fire: 998
– Ambulance: 997
Tap water
It is not recommended to drink water from the tap.
If you are unable to buy bottled water, use a water purifier to purify the water or boil the water for 5 minutes. After this you can safely use it as drinking water and for things like brushing teeth, cleaning lenses and washing vegetables and / or fruit. More information about drinking water and/or the purchase of water purification products can be found on our drinking water page.
News and newspapers
The latest news related to Saudi Arabia can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from Saudi Arabia can be found on Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from Saudi Arabia end in.sa.
Saudi Arabia’s official website: sauditourism.sa.
Telephony
The country code (international access code) to call someone in Saudi Arabia is 00966 or +966.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Saudi Arabia? Then use the Dutch country code 0031 or +31.
(If using a country code, omit the leading 0 of the number to be called.)
Company details can be found in the Saudi Arabia Yellow Pages.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos from Saudi Arabia.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Saudi Arabia.
Holidays
An overview of all public holidays in Saudi Arabia can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations in Saudi Arabia, supplemented with photos, videos and places of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about Saudi Arabia?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited Saudi Arabia. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in Saudi Arabia can be found on Protected Planet.
An overview of the world heritage sites in Saudi Arabia can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Saudi Arabia? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol, money and perfume, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. In addition, on this website you will find the laws and regulations regarding the importation of pets and a list of everything that may not be imported and/or exported into Saudi Arabia.
Entrepreneurship and doing business
If you are planning to do business in or to do business with Saudi Arabia, it is wise to prepare well. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency can help you with this. On PaulSourcing.com you will find a large amount of information about Saudi Arabia, including: opportunities, import and export regulations, trade figures, do’s and don’ts, product requirements, business partners and subsidies.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant legislation and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to Saudi Arabia.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking prohibited.
– Tobacco: Buy from the age of 18, smoking at all ages.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Not allowed (death penalty).
– Clothing: Wearing camouflage clothing is prohibited.
Did you know that…
…Saudi Arabia is home to the two most important places of Islam: Mecca and Medina?
…The weekend has changed to Friday and Saturday since June 2013?
…Saudi Arabia has no rivers?
…The death penalty still exists in Saudi Arabia?
…The average age in Saudi Arabia is only 18?
…Mineral water in Saudi Arabia is more expensive than oil?
