Saudi Arabia Visa for Algerian Passport Holders in Dubai

Saudi Arabia's tourist e-Visa has three qualifying routes. The first is by passport: citizens of the 66 countries on the official Permitted Country list apply directly. Algeria is not on that list. The second is by residency: residents of a GCC country, including every UAE residence-permit holder, qualify regardless of passport. The third is by visa held: holders of a valid Schengen, US, or UK visit visa, or permanent residents of the US, EU, or UK, also qualify.

For an Algerian passport holder living in Dubai, Sharjah, or Abu Dhabi, the residency route is the one that matters. Your UAE residence permit must be valid for at least 3 more months, your passport for at least 6, and you must be 18 or older. You apply online at ksavisa.sa and receive the e-Visa by email — no embassy appointment. This is the same 1-year, multiple-entry tourist e-Visa that any passport-eligible nationality receives, and it covers Umrah outside Hajj.

For the Algerian Muslim community in the UAE, this is often the whole reason for the trip: the Saudi tourist e-Visa itself permits Umrah. The official visa terms (visa.visitsaudi.com Terms & Conditions §8.7) and ksavisa.sa's activity guidelines list Umrah as a permitted activity outside the Hajj season. You book your Umrah slot through the Nusuk platform once your e-Visa is issued. Hajj is NOT permitted on a tourist e-Visa — it requires its own dedicated visa channel and the official Hajj quota system.

One seasonal point worth planning around: in recent years Saudi Arabia has applied temporary, seasonal restrictions on tourist and visit visas during the Hajj period — roughly April to mid-June — affecting a number of nationalities, and Algerian passport holders have been among those reported as affected. The clearest documented instance is primary-official: visit-visa holders were barred from entering Makkah during the 2025 Hajj window, from 29 April to 11 June 2025 (visa.visitsaudi.com Terms & Conditions §11.6), a restriction that has since expired. The wider year-by-year list of affected nationalities is reported by travel and immigration sources rather than published as a standing rule, so treat it as a pattern to plan around, not a fixed schedule. As of 3 July 2026, no such restriction is shown on the official portal. If you plan to travel — especially for Umrah — between roughly April and mid-June, verify the current status at ksavisa.sa before applying and before booking.

A common half-truth in the UAE is that Saudi Arabia has visa-on-arrival for everyone. It does not: visa-on-arrival is only for holders of a valid Schengen, US, or UK visit visa and permanent residents of the US, EU, or UK. A UAE residence permit is not on that list — an Algerian resident of Dubai must apply for the e-Visa online before flying. The e-Visa is usually approved within minutes, so this is a step to complete in advance, not a burden.