To apply for a family visit visa in Saudi Arabia, you file the request from inside the Kingdom on the KSA VISA platform at ksavisa.sa using your work Iqama, get the application attested through the Chamber of Commerce, and once the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approves it, your relative completes the process at a Tasheer visa center in their home country.1Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Family Visit Request The sponsor handles almost everything; the visitor picks it up only at the end.
Who Can Sponsor
You need a valid work-based Iqama. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs specifically requires a work Iqama, not a dependent or relative one, so anyone in the Kingdom on someone else’s sponsorship cannot file a family visit request themselves.1Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Family Visit Request Your Iqama must be current at the time of application.
Two background checks run automatically. If your employer has unresolved labor violations, the system can block your request before review. Outstanding fines or legal issues tied to your ID, including unpaid traffic tickets, can also trigger an automatic rejection. Both checks are electronic, so there is no counter to argue at.
There is no official minimum salary. In practice, the cost of hosting a visitor, including mandatory medical insurance, visa fees, and daily expenses, makes it hard on a salary below roughly 5,000 to 6,000 SAR per month, particularly if more than one relative is coming.
Which Relatives You Can Invite
The visa is limited to first-degree relatives: parents, spouse, and children.1Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Family Visit Request Siblings, in-laws, aunts, uncles, and cousins fall outside this category and generally require a different visa type.
Each relative needs a separate application. Inviting both parents and a spouse on the same trip means three individual requests through the portal.
What to Gather Before You Start
Have the following ready for each visitor before you open the portal:
- A passport valid for at least six months from the planned entry date. The name on the application must match the passport’s Latin script exactly. A missing middle name or a different transliteration is enough to trigger rejection.
- Proof of relationship: a marriage certificate for a spouse, a birth certificate for parents or children. Documents issued abroad must be legalized for use in Saudi Arabia, which usually means a multi-step authentication chain through the issuing country’s foreign affairs ministry. Start this early; it can take weeks.
- Your sponsor details: Iqama number, expiration date, and employer information.
- Visitor details: religion and occupation are required data fields.
Names should be entered in Arabic unless the visitor is a non-Arab national, in which case the entry should match the passport.1Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Family Visit Request
Filing on the KSA VISA Platform
The application runs entirely on ksavisa.sa, the unified portal the Ministry of Foreign Affairs now uses for family visit requests.2Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Visa Fees Payment Log in with your credentials, fill in the sponsor and visitor details, and choose between a single-entry and multiple-entry visa. You also pick the specific Saudi embassy or consulate where your relative will later submit their passport.
Once submitted, the system generates an application number. Save it. You’ll use it for every status check and for the attestation step that follows.
Chamber of Commerce Attestation
After the form is in, it needs to be electronically stamped. Private-sector employees route this through the Chamber of Commerce tied to the employer’s registration. Government employees follow an internal verification process through their department instead.1Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Family Visit Request The Chamber charges a service fee. Once attestation and payment clear, the request enters the Ministry’s review queue.
You can check status anytime by entering the application number on the KSA VISA platform. When it shows approved, the process moves to your relative.
What Your Relative Does After Approval
Two things happen in the visitor’s country: they buy medical insurance and pay the visa fees, then submit their passport for stamping at Tasheer.
Medical Insurance
Saudi Arabia requires every visit visa holder to carry medical insurance from a provider approved by the Council of Cooperative Health Insurance. The policy has to cover emergency treatment and hospitalization for the full length of stay. Several Saudi insurers, including Tawuniya, sell visit visa policies online; the premium depends on the visitor’s age and the coverage period. Proof of coverage is required before the visa stamp is issued.
Tasheer Appointment
Tasheer is the official visa service provider appointed by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The visitor books an appointment, submits their passport, gives biometrics, and Tasheer forwards everything to the Saudi embassy or consulate you selected during the application. Tasheer does not approve or reject visas; the Ministry has already made that decision. Processing at this stage usually takes several business days, though it varies with volume.
Duration, Extensions, and Overstay
A single-entry family visit visa generally allows a stay of up to 30 days. A multiple-entry visa allows 90 days per entry. The total cumulative stay, including any extensions, cannot exceed 180 days.
Extensions run through the Absher platform. Submit the extension request at least seven days before the current visa expires. Each extension costs 100 SAR, and medical insurance must remain active for the entire extended period, or the system will refuse to process it.
For multiple-entry holders, leaving and re-entering resets the per-visit clock but not the 180-day annual cap. That limit is absolute.
Overstaying carries real consequences. Fines are significant, and repeat or prolonged violations can result in deportation and a future entry ban. The penalty grows the longer the overstay continues. Set calendar reminders well before the expiration date.
Hajj-Season Suspension
Every year during the Hajj preparation period, Saudi Arabia temporarily suspends family visit visa issuance for nationals of certain high-volume countries. The list typically covers around 14 nationalities, commonly Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen. The suspension is a crowd-management measure and lifts after the pilgrimage season. If you or your relative holds one of these nationalities, file well before the window, which usually opens several weeks before Hajj and can last a month or more.
Why Applications Get Rejected
Most rejections trace back to preventable errors:
- Name mismatch between the application and the passport’s Latin script, down to a single letter or a missing middle name.
- Passport with less than six months of remaining validity, or an expired Iqama on your side.
- Outstanding traffic fines or other penalties linked to your ID, which block the application automatically.
- Employer issues, including unresolved labor violations or an inactive commercial registration, which cause the Chamber of Commerce attestation to fail.
- The wrong Iqama type. Only a work Iqama qualifies.1Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Family Visit Request
- Prior Saudi visa violations by the visitor, such as an earlier overstay or work on a visit visa.
Rejection is not necessarily permanent. Read the reason the system gives, fix the specific problem, and reapply.