Border control at Saudi Arabia airports: what happens to travellers and their data

Arriving: the steps at the border

Visitors to Saudi Arabia arrive with an eVisa, a visa issued on arrival or a visa issued in advance. They then clear passport control run by the General Directorate of Passports, known as Jawazat ^1,4.

Gulf News reported in 2023 that the Visit Saudi platform said a digital entry stamp was not accepted for the eVisa route. The entry stamp had to be physical. The passport had to be valid for at least six months from the date of entry ¹.

At King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Jawazat opened the first phase of e-passport gates in Terminals 3 and 4. The gates let travellers complete passport formalities without an officer ^4,5.

Entry permission: eVisa, visa on arrival and fees

Saudi Arabia launched its tourist eVisa programme in 2019. More than one million eVisas had been issued by September 2022 ². Legit.ng reported in July 2026 that the official portal listed 66 countries whose nationals can get the multiple-entry tourist eVisa online. The visa is valid for one year and allows stays of up to 90 days per visit. It does not cover study or the Hajj pilgrimage ³.

A 2022 ministerial decree from the Minister of Tourism let residents of Gulf Cooperation Council states apply for an eVisa online. It let residents of the UK, US and EU, and holders of UK, US or Schengen tourist or business visas, apply for a visa on arrival. A visa holder must have used the visa at least once to enter the issuing country ².

In June 2023 the Ministry of Tourism said holders of UK, US or Schengen visas, and permanent residents of the UK, US or EU, could get an instant eVisa. First-degree relatives could qualify too. Gulf News reported the fees as SAR 300 for the eVisa plus a SAR 39.44 application fee and medical insurance priced by the provider. A visa on arrival for the same groups cost SAR 300 plus SAR 180 of medical insurance ¹.

The 2023 application asked yes or no questions about chronic health conditions before the applicant chose medical insurance. Gulf News said the eVisa was issued at once and sent by email. Visitors could perform Umrah on it at any time of year outside the Hajj season ¹.

Fees and eligibility may have changed after these reports. Legit.ng linked the 2026 list to the official portal at visa.visitsaudi.com. Applicants pay the fee online before departure ³.

Biometrics and e-gates

The Riyadh e-gates use fingerprints. Arabian Business reported that they help travellers whose fingerprints are already stored in passport systems. Officials from the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and the National Information Centre attended the launch. The report did not give a launch date ⁵. Economy Middle East said King Khalid International was the first Saudi airport with biometric e-passport scanners ⁴.

Some visa applicants can give their biometrics before travel. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes an app called Saudi Visa Bio. It collects passport details, a passport photo, a facial image and fingerprints captured by the phone camera. The app listing says it was available for Umrah visas. The ministry says the data is used only to verify identity for the visa application and is deleted from the app after enrolment ⁶.

Passenger data: API and the national travellers centre

Saudi Arabia operates a Passenger Information Unit called the National Travelers Security Center. At the ICAO Middle East regional seminar on API and PNR in Cairo in June 2024, Saudi participants described how the unit processes API data to counter terrorist travel and cross-border organised crime ⁷.

A GACA senior specialist on passenger clearance legislation and systems attended the seminar. The ICAO summary does not set out Saudi PNR rules, retention periods or which airlines must send data ⁷. This guide could not find an official Saudi page that publishes those rules, as of 19 October 2026.

Watch lists and checks

The ICAO seminar summary says the National Travelers Security Center uses proactive countermeasures against terrorist travel and organised crime ⁷. The published sources reviewed for this guide do not name the watch lists or databases that Saudi border checks query.

Your data: the PDPL and how to ask for records

Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law was issued by Royal Decree No. M/19 of 9/2/1443H and amended by Royal Decree No. M/148 on 27 March 2023. It came into force on 14 September 2023, and controllers had a further year to comply. SDAIA is the regulator ⁸.

DLA Piper says the law applies across sectors with limited exceptions it does not list. It notes that data held by government agencies may face more restrictions. Public bodies that process personal data on a large scale may need a data protection officer. Breaches must be reported to SDAIA within 72 hours. People harmed by a violation can seek compensation through the courts ⁸.

The sources reviewed do not say how long Jawazat keeps biometric or travel records, or how a traveller can ask Jawazat for them, as of 19 October 2026 ⁸.

Who runs the systems

Jawazat runs passport control and the Riyadh e-gates ^4,5. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs runs the unified visa platform and the Saudi Visa Bio app ^1,6. The Ministry of Tourism sets tourist visa policy ^1,2. SDAIA regulates personal data ⁸. GACA staff work on passenger clearance rules and attended the ICAO seminar on API and PNR ⁷.

The sources reviewed do not name contractors for the e-gates or the passenger data systems ^4,57.

Security screening on departure

King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah published a list of items barred from hand luggage, as reported by Arabian Business. It includes knives, scissors and other cutting tools, firearms and replicas, ammunition, explosives, compressed gases, toxic liquids, corrosives and sports items such as baseball bats ⁹.

The airport said loose or spare batteries, including power banks, may not go in checked bags. It warned that banned items are confiscated and passengers have no right to ask for them back. The report did not give a date or a general liquids limit ⁹.