Visa
Required by all except the following:
a)Male nationals of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and United Arab
Emirates.
b)Transit passengers continuing their journey by the same or first
connecting aircraft within 10 hours provided holding valid onward
or return documentation, not leaving the airport and making no further
landing in Saudi Arabia.
c)Holders of re-entry permits and 'Landing Permits' issued by
the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Passport
A valid passport is required by all except Muslim pilgrims holding
'Pilgrim Passes', tickets and other documents for their onward or
return journey and entering the country via Jeddah or Medina. All
passports must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the estimated
stay in Saudi Arabia.
Currency
Saudi Arabian Riyal (SR) = 100 halalah; 5 halalah = 20 qurush. Notes
are in denominations of SR500, 100, 50, 10, 5 and 1. Coins are in
denominations of 50, 25, 10, and 5 halalah, and 10, 5, 2 and 1 qurush.
Travelers cheques
Are widely accepted, to avoid additional exchange rate charges,
travelers are advised to take travellrs cheques in Saudi Riyal,
US Dollars or Pounds Sterling.
Currency Restrictions
Free import and export of both local and foreign currency. Israeli
currency is prohibited.
Duty Free
The following items may be imported into Saudi Arabia without incurring
customs duty:
a)600 cigarettes or 100 cigars or 500g tobacco
b)Perfume for personal use
c)A reasonable amount of cultured pearls for personal use.
Prohibited items
The items are alcohol, narcotics, pornography, pork, contraceptives,
firearms, natural pearls, most live animals, most foods and items
listed as prohibited by the Arab League.
Getting There
By Air:
There are 19 domestic airports and air travel is by far the most
convenient form of traveling around the country.
By Sea:
Dhows may be chartered for outings on both coasts.
By Rail:
The only functioning railway is the Riyadh-Dammam line, which links
between cities.
By Road:
There are approximately 150,000km of roads linking the main towns
and rural areas, of which 22,000km are paved.
a)Bus:
Services have recently been developed by SAPTCO to serve inter-urban
and local needs.
b)Taxi:
Available in all cities, but often very expensive.
c)Car hire:
The major international car rental agencies have offices in Saudi
Arabia. The minimum age is 25, howeveer a national driving licence
is valid for up to three months if accompanied by an officially-sanctioned
translation into Arabic. An International Driving Permit (with translation)
is recommended.
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