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Travel to Saudi Arabia
Visa Requirements
Visas are required for all foreign visitors to the Kingdom and can be obtained from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C. or one of the Saudi Consulates in New York, Houston, or Los Angeles. All business visitors to Saudi Arabia are normally invited by a Saudi company or organization. Typically, the Saudi company sends a letter of invitation, certified by a Chamber of Commerce in Saudi Arabia, to the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C. or a Saudi Consulate. The U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council (USSABC) also sponsors business visas for its members. Requirements vary for each type of visa. A sampling of visa requirements is listed below. Travelers to the Kingdom may not carry alcohol, firearms, pork products, religious items, or pornographic materials. Prescription drugs should be carried in their original labeled containers. Until recently, photography was prohibited in the Kingdom. However, in a step to promote tourism, Saudi Arabia is now officially allowing photography and filming for all citizens and residents in public areas as long as it does not involve invasion of privacy. As far as photography of sensitive installations such as airports, seaports, oil and petrochemical facilities, and military bases is concerned, those facilities that do not wish to be photographed will be obliged to place signs in view.
The best time to visit Saudi Arabia is between the months of October and March. Another good time is during the Jenadriya festival in Riyadh, an annual heritage and cultural festival which usually takes place in February. Significantly, business visitors may wish to avoid visiting Saudi Arabia during the Kingdom’s two main holidays: Eid Al-Fitr, the celebration after Ramadan, and Eid Al-Adha, the celebration of Hajj, or annual pilgrimage to Makkah, as meetings may be difficult to arrange during those times. Summer months are also not advisable, not only because of the extreme heat, but also because many Saudis take their vacations in July and August.
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