Asia · The Gulf, West Asia

Saudi Arabia

Capital · Riyadh

AlUla's Nabataean tombs, the Red Sea reefs, and a country newly open to visitors.

🇸🇦Riyadh
The essentials

Saudi Arabia at a glance

Capital
Riyadh
Region
The Gulf, West Asia
Currency
Saudi riyal (SAR)
Languages
Arabic
Dialling code
+966
Plan around it

Public holidays & key dates in Saudi Arabia

Dates shift year to year where a holiday follows a lunar or religious calendar. Check locally before you book flights or count on offices being open.

Sep 23National Day
Feb 22Founding Day
VariesEid al-Fitr & Eid al-Adha date varies date variesThe two biggest holidays
Getting in

Visas for African passports

Entry rules for Saudi Arabia differ sharply depending on which African passport you hold — visa-free for some nationalities, e-visa for others, embassy application for the rest.

The AfricAsia Passport Index checks every African passport against this destination, with the current route and a plain-language note on what officers ask for.

Check your passport →
On the ground

Ask before you land

Rent, agents, hospitals, halal and African groceries, church and mosque, where people actually meet on a Sunday — the answers live with the people already there.

The Saudi Arabia channel in the Hub is free, open, and moderated by members who live in the country.

Open the Saudi Arabia channel →