Saudi Arabia rolls out visa-flight-hotel bundles in one booking

The announcement comes from the Saudi Tourism Authority, the public body overseeing tourism in the kingdom. For now, the Package Visa is running as a pilot scheme open only in a handful of selected markets and through approved travel agencies and platforms. Full roll-out dates and eligible nationalities have yet to be announced.

What the package includes

A Package Visa bundles four items into one seamless purchase journey:

• Return flight;

• Accommodation at a licensed hotel property;

• Electronic visa application;

• Optional add-ons such as event tickets, activities or guided tours.

A traveller selects their stay, adds experiences if desired, and the visa request is processed in the same move as the reservation. The goal is to eliminate back-and-forth between different sites and reduce the chance of selecting the wrong platform when paying for the visa.

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Who can sell this service

Not every agency will be able to offer the Package Visa. The Saudi Tourism Authority has set clear conditions. Suppliers must operate a digital platform, demonstrate technical capability to merge booking and visa into one process, and provide round-the-clock customer service. This filtering aims to block dubious intermediaries and give travellers a clear, secure pathway.

We’re monitoring this closely at Visamundi. For many destinations, unofficial sites inflate visa fees for services that can be obtained at the official rate. By accrediting providers, Saudi Arabia seeks to curb such practices.

An addition to, not a replacement for, existing routes

The Package Visa does not replace other entry options. The kingdom still issues classic electronic tourist visas, on-arrival visas for eligible nationalities, and transit visas for short stop-overs. Travellers who prefer to plan individually can continue to purchase an e-visa separately.

This new bundle mainly targets those looking to settle everything at once and walk away with a single confirmation: ticket, hotel and entry permit all wrapped together.

Why is Riyadh launching this now?

Saudi Arabia welcomed more than 29 million international visitors in 2025. Tourism sits at the heart of the Vision 2030 blueprint that seeks to diversify the economy and draw leisure visitors—long rare in the kingdom. Online tourist visas only appeared in 2019, highlighting how fresh Saudi tourism still is.

The coming decade will intensify the pressure. The country will host the Riyadh 2030 World Expo and the 2034 FIFA World Cup, events expected to draw millions more travellers. Removing entry friction is now a practical necessity to meet these goals.

Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb framed the intent behind Package Visa on announcement day. By connecting visa issuance directly to travel bookings, the scheme smooths the visitor journey and makes the process seamless, he said. He stressed that it supports both partner agencies and end users alike.

The Package Visa joins a broader sector trend: blending travel permission with holiday purchase. Several countries have tested similar concepts using digital arrival cards or e-permits linked to transportation, but Saudi Arabia goes further by folding the visa itself into the booking basket.

We’ll update this story as soon as Riyadh releases fully eligible nationalities, target markets and full roll-out timing. Until then, a rule of thumb remains: only pay for a Saudi visa through an official channel or vetted agency, and steer clear of any offer promising entry without going through these authorised routes.