Saudi Arabia is emerging as one of the largest business destinations for a large number of foreign nationals. From advanced business infrastructure to strong support and encouragement from the local governments. The country has everything to attract business professionals, from all parts of the world.
To visit Saudi Arabia for business purposes, business professionals must gather every important document needed to enter the country. One of those is a business visa for KSA.
To get this, you need to visit a reputable visa provider, submit your application and necessary documentation, and attend the in-person interviews (if necessary).
Without further ado, let’s learn about the KSA business visa.
What is a Saudi Business Visa?
A business visa for KSA allows entrepreneurs from foreign nations to enter the country legally for different business-related work. This might include setting up a new office, meeting with local business professionals, attending business conferences, or making negotiations and personal connections.
Do not confuse it with the employment visa. The business visa is only available to individuals who own or are partners in a business venture. To get this visa, applicants must possess an invitation letter from a Saudi Arabian company. They also need to provide relevant proof for their past business-associated activities.
Documents For Applying for the Saudi Arabia Business Visa
Foreign business professionals must provide required documents, while submitting KSA online visa applications, for business purposes.
Passpor
The passport of the applicant must have a validity of at least six months, from the date of travel. It must also have at least two blank pages, for marking visa stamps.
Photographs
The applicant has to provide two passport-style photographs with the business visa application. The photos should not be more than six months old and should have a white background.
Local Company Invitation Letter
As mentioned earlier, the applicant has to provide an electronic business invitation letter, received from a Saudi Arabian company. The letter must be verified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).
Here, the applicant has to ensure that the company ID mentioned in the invitation letter matches the company ID available in the Commercial Registration (CR) document.
Employment Verification Letter
This will be needed if the foreign firm is sending their employee(s), as the company representatives, to Saudi Arabia for business-related activities only.
It will work as proof that the visitor is already employed in the foreign company and has not entered the country to seek employment.
Business Registration Certificate
If the applicant already owns an established company in Saudi Arabia, then they have to provide the Saudi Arabia business registration certificate, along with the business registration certificate from their home country.
But, in many cases, the applicant may not have an established business in Saudi Arabia. In that case, they will need to visit the country on the invitation of a local business. In this situation, the applicant will have to provide the business registration certificate, from their home country.
The Validity Of The Business Visa For KS
Saudi Arabia provides two types of business visas. The first one is a single-entry business visa, and the second one is a multiple-entry business visa.
The validity of a single-entry business visa is a maximum of thirty days. Whereas, the validity of a multiple-entry business visa is one year. However, a multiple-entry business visa holder is allowed to stay in the country for a maximum of ninety days, per entry.
The Extension Of Business Visa For Saudi Arabia
Foreign business professionals may need to extend their stay in Saudi Arabia if the need arises. For this purpose, they need to extend their business visa for KSA in advance. This is important to prevent severe penalties and even deportation.
With the extension of the Saudi business visa, the visitors can complete their remaining business-related activities without an issue.
The Process Of Extending a Business Visa For Saudi Arabia
The step-by-step procedure for the Saudi Arabia business visa extension is:
Checking The Visa Expiry Date
It is important to verify the expiry date of the current visa, before submitting the application for a business visa extension. This ensures that the visa extension application timeline has not passed. Visitors have to apply for the extension of their business visa before its expiry date.
Submitting The Application Form With The Right Documents
Applicants have to submit a zero-error KSA online visa application for a business visa extension. Most of the documents will be the same as the new visa application.
But, in case of visa extension, the applicant will have to provide an additional document. This document will show the valid reason for extending the Saudi Arabia business visa.
Paying The Visa Extension Fee
The business visa extension fee may vary from visitor to visitor and the total period of extension. The longer the stay period is, the more the business visa extension would be.
The Processing Time For Business Visa Extension
Normally, the processing time for business visa extension is one to three weeks. Here, the time may vary due to many reasons. Common reasons could be the volume of applications, the time of the year and incorrect/incomplete application submission.
Large volume of applications and peak seasons can delay the approval of business visa extension. Submitting an incorrect/incomplete application not only delays the approval, but it may also result in the rejection of visa extension.
Common Mistakes To Avoid While Applying For Business Visa Extension
Applicants have to avoid common mistakes while submitting KSA online visa applications, for business visa extension.
Missing Important Deadlines
Applicants must not wait for the last moment to take a final call for business visa extension. The gap between the visa extension application date and the expiry date of the current visa, should be atleast one week.
Applicants have to be careful and apply for business visa extension well in time.
Unclear/Irrelevant Reason For Visa Extension
This is a very common mistake and it is important to avoid. The approval of a business visa depends a lot on this. The applicant must provide a strong reason for the extension of the business visa to Saudi Arabia.
The reason should align with the business activities of the applicant, and not with anything else. The stronger the reason for the visa extension is, the more the chances of the visa extension approval will be.
Ready To Apply For A Business Visa And Visit Saudi Arabia?
Now that you have a bird’s eye view of the Saudi business visa for KSA, it is time to start preparing. Remember to research local laws and customs, especially if you will be meeting Saudi professionals as part of your venture. Start the process of collecting all necessary documentation at the same time so that you can apply for the visa well in advance.
