Saudi Arabia New Package Visa for Pakistan
Saudi Arabia’s new Package Visa is changing how travelers from Pakistan and six other countries plan their trips to the Kingdom. Instead of juggling separate bookings for flights, hotels, insurance and a visa application, eligible visitors can now handle all four in one transaction through an approved travel agent.
It’s part of a bigger push under Vision 2030 to make Saudi tourism easier to access. Below, we’ll walk through exactly who qualifies, what it costs, how it differs from the regular tourist eVisa, and a couple of related visa changes worth knowing about if you’re an expat or an employer in the Kingdom.
What Is the Saudi Arabia Package Visa?
The Saudi Press Agency confirmed the initiative was developed jointly by the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior and the Insurance Authority. That’s four separate government bodies working off one shared booking system which, honestly, is no small coordination task.
Why does this matter for ordinary travelers? Because right now, most people apply for a Saudi eVisa separately from booking flights and hotels, and there’s always a small risk of a visa delay ruining non-refundable travel plans. The Package Visa removes that gap by issuing the visa automatically once you’ve paid for a qualifying package.
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Which Countries Are Included in the Pilot Phase
Seven countries are eligible during this trial run: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia and Mexico. The Ministry of Tourism has said the list will grow as the pilot expands, though it hasn’t set a firm date for adding new nationalities.
If your country isn’t on that list yet, you’re not shut out of Saudi Arabia the standard tourist eVisa, visa-on-arrival, and the 96-hour Stopover Transit Visa are all still available. Two travel agencies, Reserval and Almosafer, are currently the accredited providers processing Package Visa bookings, according to reporting from Travel Tomorrow.
Saudi Arabia Package Visa Cost and Booking Rules
Minimum Package Price
Here’s the part most people actually want to know: what does it cost? The Ministry of Tourism has set a minimum package value of SAR 4,000 per adult for the first two days of travel, with an additional SAR 1,000 per adult for each extra day beyond that.
On top of the package cost, there’s a separate visa-and-insurance fee of roughly SAR 402.21, which covers the electronic tourist visa and the mandatory travel insurance bundled into it. A package can include up to 14 travelers, and trip lengths can range anywhere from a minimum of two days up to 88 days.
Hotel and Timing Requirements
Accommodation has to be booked at a Ministry-approved four-star hotel or above no budget guesthouses or unlicensed listings qualify. Flight bookings are mandatory too, and your hotel dates need to line up with your arrival and departure dates on the ticket.
Timing matters here more than people expect. Bookings must be completed and paid for at least 48 hours before departure, since the visa and insurance are processed electronically within that same 48-hour window. Also worth noting: once a package is confirmed, it can’t be cancelled — cancelling it automatically voids the visa too, so don’t book until your travel plans are locked in.
Package Visa vs. Regular Tourist eVisa and Business Visa
How the Tourist Visa Works
The standard Saudi tourist eVisa separate from this new Package Visa already allows leisure travel, family visits, and even Umrah performed outside the Hajj season. It’s typically valid for one year with multiple entries, capped at a combined 90 days of stay across that period.
What the Package Visa changes isn’t the visa’s underlying purpose; it changes how you get it. You’re still getting a tourist-category entry permit, just issued automatically the moment you pay for a qualifying travel package instead of applying separately through the eVisa portal.
How the Business Visit Visa Differs
A business visit visa serves a completely different function. It covers meetings, negotiations, and professional discussions, but it does not authorize any form of paid or unpaid employment, and it isn’t part of the Package Visa scheme at all.
This distinction trips a lot of corporate travelers up. If your trip involves attending a conference or signing a contract, a business visa is the correct route but the moment your work crosses into hands-on labor or an actual job function, you’d need a proper work visa instead. Getting this wrong isn’t a minor paperwork slip; misclassified visa use can lead to fines or deportation.
Recent Changes to Saudi Work Visas and Corporate Sponsorship
Qiwa’s New Instant Visa Caps for Companies
Away from tourism, Saudi Arabia’s labor ministry has also tightened how many instant work visas a company can pull through the Qiwa platform. Businesses younger than two years are now capped at five instant visas, while companies operating for more than two years can request up to 50 — either in one go or across multiple applications submitted the same week.
Newer businesses enrolled in the government’s Establishment Programme start even lower, at just two visas, though that allocation increases once the company improves its Saudization rate. Eligibility for any of these caps still depends on a company holding Medium Green Nitaqat status or above, staying compliant with the Wage Protection System, and keeping sufficient balance on Ministry of Interior platforms like Absher or Muqeem.
The Extended Deadline for Fixing Expired Work Permits
One correction worth flagging here: the Kingdom’s recent deadline extension applies specifically to expatriate work permits (rukhsat al-amal), not to visas in the broader sense. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development pushed the correction deadline to December 31, 2026, replacing an earlier June 30, 2026 cutoff.
This grace period covers workers whose permits expired more than 12 months ago, along with anyone who was never issued a permit within six months of joining their employer. It’s the employer’s responsibility to fix this, not the worker’s — and since July 1, 2026, anyone whose permit lapsed more than three months ago has already been automatically dropped from their employer’s Qiwa records, even though the company still owes any outstanding fees tied to that employment.
Key Requirements Checklist for Saudi Arabia’s Package Visa
Before booking, it helps to run through what’s actually required rather than assuming any travel agent will handle it correctly:
- Confirmed round-trip flight tickets matching your intended travel dates
- A licensed four-star hotel booking (or higher) for the full length of stay
- Minimum package spend of SAR 4,000 per adult for two days, plus SAR 1,000 for each additional day
- Booking completed through a Ministry-approved provider currently Reserval or Almosafer
- Payment finalized at least 48 hours before your flight departs
- Passport valid for the required minimum period at time of travel
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What Companies Should Check Before Requesting Instant Work Visas
If you’re an employer trying to sponsor foreign staff through Qiwa, the requirements look a little different:
- Confirm your Nitaqat (Saudization) classification is Medium Green or higher
- Make sure your commercial registration is active and current
- Settle any outstanding Wage Protection System violations
- Keep adequate balance on Absher or Muqeem for visa-related fees
- Complete the annual self-assessment if your establishment has ten or more employees
- Double-check that all current employees’ work permits are valid, since expired ones can block new visa requests
FAQs
What is the Saudi Arabia Package Visa? It’s a pilot program launched in July 2026 that combines a tourist eVisa, flights, hotel accommodation, and travel insurance into one booking made through an approved travel agency. The visa is issued automatically once a qualifying package is purchased.
Which countries are eligible for the Saudi Package Visa? The pilot phase currently covers Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia and Mexico. The Ministry of Tourism says more nationalities will be added as the program expands.
How much does the Saudi Package Visa cost? Packages start at a minimum of SAR 4,000 per adult for the first two days, with SAR 1,000 added for each extra day, plus a separate visa and insurance fee of about SAR 402.21.
Is the Package Visa different from the regular Saudi tourist visa? Yes and no it grants the same tourist-category entry, but it’s issued through a bundled travel package rather than a standalone eVisa application, and it requires a four-star-or-above hotel booking as part of the deal.
What is the new deadline for correcting expired Saudi work permits? Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development extended the correction deadline for expired or missing expatriate work permits to December 31, 2026, replacing the earlier June 30, 2026 cutoff.
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