Saudi Arabia Pre-Departure Guide
Your complete checklist and guide for all essential preparations before traveling to Saudi Arabia for your studies.
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Your pre-departure plan for Saudi Arabia
Getting Ready for Saudi Arabia
What to do between your admission and your flight.
Start Early
Key Areas
- Visa and papers: Long-term student visa, passport, stamped degree papers.
- Health: Visa medical report and health insurance.
- Housing: Many universities give housing on campus.
- Travel: Some scholarships book and pay for your flight.
Preparation Timeline
About 8 to 12 weeks before (KAUST). Other universities may differ.
Send your details, start getting stamps on your degree papers and plan your visa medical report.
2 to 8 weeks at KAUST
Your university asks the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). You give your papers in your home country.
Before the start of term
Book or confirm travel, pack your originals and arrive on your university's date.
Your University Decides the Details
Each university sends its own list and dates.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), for example, both guide new students through the visa steps.
Pre-Departure Checklist
Mark each one as done before you fly.
Papers
Passport
Valid for at least 6 months after you enter Saudi Arabia.
Admission letter
From a licensed Saudi university.
Stamped degree papers
Your degree papers must be checked and stamped by officials so they are accepted as real. Your university tells you which kind of stamp.
Health
Visa medical report
Done at home. Shows you are free of diseases that spread to other people. You do a second check, for the Iqama, after you land.
Health insurance
Needed for the long-term student visa.
Money
Money proof or scholarship letter
Shows who pays your fees and living costs.
Cash for the first days
Bring some Saudi riyal (SAR) until your bank account is open.
Saudi Rules
Pre-Departure Guides
Read each guide in this order.
Staying Connected
Your Saudi number must be linked to your Iqama, so plan to use Wi-Fi for the first days.
Mobile Phones & Internet
Mobile Phone Options
Wait for your Iqama
At KAUST, students are told not to buy a SIM card at the airport.
Buy a SIM card
Use your Iqama so the number is in your name.
Useful Communication Apps
Absher
Saudi government app for residence and visa services.
Tawakkalna
Saudi app where you can also find your national address, your home address in Saudi Post's system.
Important Contacts & Resources
Emergency Contacts in Saudi Arabia
Save the emergency number before you fly.
Save These Contacts Before Departure
Your university's international office
Your first contact for visa, Iqama and housing questions.
Phone Checklist
Use Wi-Fi when you land.
Get a Saudi SIM card after your Iqama arrives.
Save 911, the one emergency number.
Key Tips Before You Fly
Accept your place and send your passport details to your university quickly.
Use a passport valid for at least 6 months after you enter. Some universities ask for 12 months.
Start getting your degree papers stamped early.
Do the medical test for the visa when your university says.
Bring some Saudi riyal (SAR) in cash for your first days.
Do not buy a Saudi SIM card at the airport. Wait for your Iqama (the Saudi residence card).
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Frequently Asked Questions
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