Saudi Visas
 

This web site gives the information on Saudi Arabia and why it is not possible for transit visas for the ordinary traveller. Saudi Arabia travel guide - Wikitravel
Cheers
Ian:thumbup1:

"My Kingdom will survive only insofar as it remains a country difficult to access, where the foreigner will have no other aim, with his task fullfilled, but to get out." -- King Abdul Aziz bin Saud, c. 1930

Makes sense to me... How deeply the religion is rooted into this kingdom's infrastructure. But yet it makes it even more desirable to go there :)

Some day...

Cheers, Margus

Twenty years in Saudi
 

"We will use all that the foreiner has to teach and withhold bit by bit all that he desires and make him pay the price." Dessertstrom c 2008

Make the most of it while you can.

Cheers
Ian:thumbup1:

They might have to rewrite that article...
I've got a transit visa for a motorbike south to north through SA. Of course, they haven't actually let me in yet... perhaps they'll withhold that desire too...

We'll find out in a few days time. :scooter:
Stephan

hi stephano..

i hope they'll let you in. please keep us informed.

enjoy

Thanks. We'll find out on Saturday morning and let you know. :thumbup1:

I was planning to pass by Ankara after Iran but with this change of plan I don't think we'll come that way now. :(

Stephan

thanks stephano...

i have moved to istanbuş btw. whenever you come, you are always welcome!!

good luck on your trip.

On your way!
 

Hey Stephan,

Good luck for Saturday mate. Let us know how sore you bum is after 3000km in 3 days.........hahaha. Have a good trip mate, and should see you in Dubai again later in the year. BTW, how did yuo go with the camera?

Cheers
Ivan

Ivan
We made it through... 3,000km, came out on the morning of the 4th day but no problems on that score with the 3-day visa. It wasn't even mentioned.

To begin with, we rode 500km to Sila, UAE, just before the Saudi border. I'll post a waypoint for the resthouse later.

1st day of transit visa, we crossed into Saudi and just past the border there's a left turn for a straight road direct to Riyadh. Stayed at the Riyadh Youth Hostel.

2nd day in Saudi, stopped somewhere past Hail which is where the scenery actually starts getting interesting. (The first twisties were after 1200km!)

3rd day, we reached Al Ula and then on to Duba on the Red Sea coast.

Arrived at Jordanian border the next morning. A police patrol car spotted us just after Hail and from then on we had police 'protection' all the way to the border, about 20 different vehicles in total who handed over to the next as we left their areas, all very friendly and patient. No hassle at all.

In Duba, we met Egyptians waiting to catch the ferry to Egypt who had come along the main highways by car, i.e. UAE ==> Riyadh ==> Jeddah ==> up the coast. I think our route was more interesting.

Stephan

Hi Stephan,
Congratulations on Saudi transit, and it is real good to hear positive comments, it is not the worst place in the world!
Interested to get the Sila resthouse info, it would be handy if crossing in the evening. I have ridden to UAEtwice, but both times left Riyadh at dawn, might be a time I would leave in afternoon and need a break at Sila.
Could you post the .gdb file for the Al Ula - Al Wedhj road, in case I get a chance to ride it? Was in Al Ula a few years ago, fascinating.
Mabruk!
Laurence

Cheers, Laurence.
I think the worst thing about Saudi was the driving in Riyadh. I am used to daily bike commuting in Sharjah but some Riyadh drivers were manically aggressive and red light jumping was frequent. There seemed to be a lot of repressed energy out there on the roads!

I will sort out the waypoint info soon. Meanwhile, coming from Saudi the resthouse in on the main road just past the Sila town turning. It would be on your right hand side and is possibly the last building past the petrol station.

The Wehj road is not hard to find either; especially as you will probably have a police escort.
Stephan

Clarification
 

I hope you enjoyed your trip through Saudi, indeed the more mountainous areas are excellent.
It's worth pointing out that if you are employed in one of the Gulf states you will get a transit visa but if you are a westerner doing a RWT you won't get one.
Cheers
Ian :thumbup1:

hey stephano,

congrats on making it to the elite !!! :rofl:

i've been hearing rumours from a long time in the local press that the tourism ministry is going to ease up the visa regulations to cater to the other kind of tourists (non-religious) also. Its good to hear that the changes seem to be happening.

oh, yeah the Riyadh traffic/driving is horrible (even by saudi standards) .. I guess saudis are infamous all over the region for their signal jumping - lane cutting - footpath driving expertise. no wonder people give way in UAE/Bahrain when they see me in their mirrors !!!

I am myself planning a ride to Dubai/Abudhabi from Al-khobar (saudi east coast city) in the forthcoming Hajj holidays (5th Dec onwards i guess) ...

hope to catch up with the UAE HUBB boys/girls.

cheers
Vicky

It would be great to meet you in December, Vicky. Drop me a line when you're on your way. Stephan :welcome:

UAE to Europe
 

Hiya,

I just picked up this thread and hope that you are doing well wherever you are heading to.

I have just started planning a trip from the UAE to Europe. Im pretty familiar with the UAE, Saudi, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan having lived in the Gulf for 13 years, but not sure which way to go next. Turn left at Jordan and go through Egypt, Liybia and Tunisia (a la Ewan and Charley) or turn right and go through Syria or Lebanon and Turkey? Any advice for me??

Andy

Turning right through Jordan, Syria & Turkey is much more straightforward. If you add in Lebanon you will increase the amount of your carnet deposit as well as requiring re-entry to Syria. (Once is enough - they currently force you to change 40 dollars for 'customs & insurance' whether you already have Syrian currency or not and even if they didn't charge a second time you'd still need another/multiple visa.)

Egypt is notorious for its border bureaucracy and high carnet deposits and further along you will probably need to hire guides. If it's the first time, I'd go right, there’s a lot to see.
Stephan

Sila resthouse is here: N24 00.908 E51 45.913

For Wehj, head south out of Al Ula until you reach a petrol station (fill up here!) just before a T-junction then head south-west. The road snakes around but it's a nice ride.

One more thing, there are two incorrectly placed markers on Google Earth for 'Elephant Rock' near Al Ula. It is actually at N26 41.369 E37 58.893

If you check my coordinates on Google Earth, it tallies with an Arabic place marker/photo of the rock.

Stephan

thanks, useful!

I was in Madein Saleh a few years ago, very interesting, you can really feel the history...

.
.
Hi Stephan,

Looking at at trip from UK to Cape Town, but not wanting to go through Egypt, because of expensive vehicle, thus high carnet.
Would Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Saudi, (ferry from Jeddah to ???) Sudan, and then all the standard way south be an option?

Turkey, Syria, Jordan is straightforward apart from the usual paperwork at their borders. The Saudi leg really depends on whether you can obtain a transit visa. You can check that with the Saudi Embassy in London. If you got it, you'd have no problems reaching Jeddah from Aqaba in that time frame.

I used to live in Port Sudan (nearly 25 years ago!) and there were always ferries to Jeddah (and very few other places). I would imagine it's still possible to cross to Port Sudan/Suakin from Jeddah but again you should check in advance.

Stephan

Hello Stephan,
Thank you for your excellent reply.
Turkey visa get at Turkish border?
I am tempted to stay a few days in Marmaris, a great place we have always gone to every year.
Syria visa get at Syrian border?
Jordan visa get at Jordan border?
Should I try for a Saudi visa at the Saudi border, or in Damascus?
I would like to see Al Medenah, and Mecca, some of the images really look fantastic.
I enjoyed many cultural places in Turkey.

I believe it would be much easier for Muslim persons to cross these borders when the approach the border patrol and immigration in their long white robes and sandels.?

Graham

hi,

despite of i am muslim, coulnd't any kind of saudi visa from saudi embassy in london ın 2006. next time i will try to get it from damascus.

good luck to you all!!

Turkish visa for British nationals is obtained at the border by buying a stamp for around 15-20 dollars which is affixed in the passport. I can't remember the exact figure but I do remember that Germans don't need a Turkish visa.

Syrian visa should be obtained in your country of residence but travelers have obtained them at the border.

British nationals can get their Jordanian visa at the border.

Non-muslims are not permitted to enter Mecca and some parts of Medina (not presuming to know your religious persuasion but just advising).

Personally, there is no way I would rely on getting a Saudi visa in Damascus and certainly not at the border. I wouldn't count on getting it anywhere other than my country of residence. After all, what would you do in Jordan if you found that you couldn't go via Saudi (having already excluded Egypt)?

Good luck with your planning.
Stephan

Hello Stephan, and thank you for your very good reply.

I am sure it is many people reading this thread/topic, so hopefully many more than just myself will benefit.

For us, I will look to getting the Saudi Visa in London before we leave for our trip.

Yes, it would put one in an awkward position if a Saudi visa was not available in Damascus, or at the Jordan/Saudi border, for some reason of dispute or what ever.

From Jeddah, assuming a Saudi visa is forthcoming, Is it reasonable to get a visa for Sudan before we leave UK, or while in Saudi?

Just my opinion...
 

Since Sudanese visas are also sometimes problematic to obtain, I would advise making your application from the UK. Just make sure you calculate approximately when you will arrive to avoid it expiring before it's needed.

I understood that you would apply for a 3-day transit visa for Saudi Arabia which offers your best chance of successfully entering the country without having an invitation. That being the case, I don't think you would have time to hang around making Sudanese visa applications. The process for me (in Dubai) took about one-two weeks.

Already having the visa for your country of exit from Jeddah, i.e. Sudan, might also work in your favour when applying for the Saudi transit visa.
Stephan

tempting....tempting
 

Hi everybody! Esp Stephan!

I'm planning to go to Saudi someday.....by bike to perform my pilgrimage:innocent:. Whats the easiest & cheapest route.... yet interesting. I'll probably start from Nepal, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan and finally Saudi! But if there's a shorter/cheaper route I might as well consider it. Ironically as a muslim I'm also having problems applying visa (espescially an overland visa)
If I get this Im probably be making history.....:clap:

Shorter would be from Iran with the ferry to UAE, then you are almost there. I remember reading somewhere that a pilgrimage visa restricts you where in SA you can go.

true
 

Yes it does restict you...Its usually meant for Jeddah & Medina. I actually have to use different passport for The Pilgrimage Its called the"Haj Passport" its green instead of the usual maroon! The situation is very vague.... But there are some Malaysians that have been abroad i.e study/work that are allowed to enter using the normal passport! It has been done but like I said but not via land. Usually like those studying in UK apply visa from London and fly straight to Jeddah, there are also some tourist in UK doing the same but not guaranteed 100%! Most embassies will say: "You have to apply from your country of origin!" Anyway Im just dreaming now..... InsyAllah one day I'll be able to fullfill it!