Visa on arrival

Saudi Arabia visa for citizens of South Africa

Citizens of South Africa get a Saudi Arabia visa on arrival at passport control. You don’t apply in advance, but border officers check your passport, return ticket and accommodation. Visago checks your documents before you travel. It costs $19.

For citizens of South Africa: the passport opens 60 countries visa-free; Pretoria — Riyadh: ≈ 5,950 km, about 8 hours of flying.

Checked by visa analyst Albert Brown, 13 years of experience · September 26, 2026

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Can I travel to Saudi Arabia without a visa on a South Africa passport?

You don’t need to apply in advance: citizens of South Africa get the visa on arrival. To avoid problems at the border, we check your documents for $19.

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Saudi Arabia visa rules at a glance

With a South Africa passport you can visit 60 countries visa-free, 29 with a visa on arrival and 39 with an e-visa; 70 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the South Africa passport ranks 96th of 199.
South Africa passport: visa-free access to 60 countries; Saudi Arabia passport: 53.
Citizens of South Africa and Saudi Arabia can travel together visa-free to 28 countries, for example: Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola, Mauritius, Seychelles, Palestine, Tunisia, Georgia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Macau.
Citizens of Saudi Arabia, in turn, don’t need a visa for South Africa. South Africa visa for citizens of Saudi Arabia

Travelling to Saudi Arabia: good to know

Pretoria — Riyadh: about 5,950 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 8 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: +1 hour.
Local time: Pretoria 12:00 — Riyadh 13:00.
Local currency: Saudi Riyal.
Languages: Arabic.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ SAR 3.75.
Saudi Arabia is the 45th closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of South Africa.