Welcome to the Visa Unit
Visa Operations: The United States Mission to Saudi Arabia has resumed immigrant visa and nonimmigrant visa processing for all categories. Travelers can schedule appointments for the range of visa categories on-line. While the Embassy and Consulates General aim to process cases as soon as practicable, backlogs developed during the COVID pandemic and limited capacity due to COVID-19 mitigation measures will result in longer wait times for appointments. If you have an urgent matter and need to travel immediately, please follow the guidance provided at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/sa to request an emergency appointment.
Fee Payment Extension: We understand that many nonimmigrant visa applicants paid a visa application fee (known as the MRV fee) and are still waiting to schedule a visa interview. The U.S. Mission will extend the validity of this MRV fee until September 30, 2023, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule an appointment as a result of the suspension of routine visa services an opportunity to schedule an appointment with the already paid fee.
The Consular Sections of the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate Generals in Jeddah and Dhahran are responsible for providing visa services to those seeking to enter the United States for a temporary period and for those wishing to take up indefinite or permanent residence in the United States.
Please visit our Global Support Services (GSS) website for complete information on applying for a nonimmigrant U.S. visa, including a directory of nonimmigrant visa categories.
What is a Visa?
A citizen of a foreign country who seeks to enter the United States generally must first obtain a U.S. visa, which is placed in the traveler’s passport, a travel document issued by the traveler’s country of citizenship.
Certain international travelers may be eligible to travel to the United States without a visa if they meet the requirements for visa-free travel. The Visa section of this website is all about U.S. visas for foreign citizens to travel to the United States.
(Note: U.S. citizens don’t need a U.S. visa for travel, but when planning travel abroad may need a visa issued by the embassy of the country they wish to visit.).
Contact Us
The U.S. Embassy is located in Riyadh in the Diplomatic Quarter. Visa services are available Sunday through Thursday (excluding American and Saudi National Holidays), by appointment only.
For further assistance, please contact us through one of the following:
Non-immigrant Visa: support-saudiarabia@ustraveldocs.com
Immigrant Visas: riyadhiv@state.gov
Visa services are available Sunday to Thursday (excluding holidays), and by appointment only. Non-Immigrant Visa interviews are conducted from 8:00-11:00am, while Immigrant Visa interviews are conducted from 12:30-3:00pm.
For non-immigrant-related visa questions at U.S. Consulate General Jeddah, please contact us through support-saudiarabia@ustraveldocs.com or http://www.ustraveldocs.com/sa . Visa services in Jeddah are available Sunday to Thursday (excluding holidays), and by appointment only. Non-Immigrant Visa interviews are conducted from 7:00-11:30am.
Customer Service Statement
The Department of State manages the visa process strictly but fairly in order to best protect the United States. We are committed to the essential openness for which the United States has always been known. Travel to the United States is welcomed and encouraged.
We promise to you, the visa applicant, that:
- We will treat you with dignity and respect, even if we are unable to grant you a visa.
- We will treat you as an individual and your case as unique.
- We will remember that, to you, a visa interview may be a new or intimidating experience and that you may be nervous.
- We will use the limited time available for the interview to get as full a picture as possible of your travel plans and intentions.
- We will use our available resources to fairly assist all applicants to get appointments to allow travel in time for business, study, and other important obligations.
- We will post detailed and accurate information on visa requirements and application procedures on every Embassy and Consulate website.
- We will provide information on non-immigrant appointment waiting times at every Embassy and Consulate posted on http://travel.state.gov.
- We will explain the reason for any visa denial to you.
Furthermore, if you are a:
- Student, we will make every effort to ensure that you get an appointment and, if qualified, a visa in time to start classes.
- Medical and humanitarian emergency traveler, we will expedite processing for those dealing with life threatening emergencies.
- Business traveler, we will establish appropriate mechanisms to facilitate business travel and expedite cases of particular concern to American business.
At the same time, we expect you, the visa applicant, to:
- Plan your travel and visa application as far in advance as possible.
- Complete your application fully and accurately.
- Be forthcoming about your purpose and plans.
- Prepare for your interview by being able to clearly and concisely describe your intentions.
