Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, London — Local services in London

A Shocking and Costly Umrah Visa Experience

Our experience with the Saudi embassy for an Umrah visa even after that she applied for tourist visa through agent, has been nothing short of disgraceful. My wife applied for an Umrah visa for herself and our three children, assuming the process would be straightforward. To plan ahead, we even booked flight tickets costing around £1,500, thinking the visa process would be smooth. However, not only was the visa application rejected without any explanation, but we are now at risk of losing this substantial sum due to the embassy’s lack of clarity and support.

Here are the critical issues we faced:

Nonexistent Transparency and Guidance: There were absolutely no clear guidelines for applicants, especially for families with children. Despite following the limited information we could find, our application was rejected without any explanation or feedback. For a service that charges such high fees, the lack of transparency is both baffling and disrespectful.

Appalling Customer Service: After the rejection, we reached out to the embassy for clarification, only to be told to contact the local Saudi embassy in the UK. Each time we called, we were put on hold for nearly an hour, only for the call to disconnect without any assistance. This happened multiple times, each more frustrating than the last. For a matter of such significance, this level of customer service is inexcusable.

Disregard and Disrespect Towards Applicants: As UK citizens, we expected a basic level of professionalism, especially considering the money we paid. Instead, we were treated with complete disregard. Our intention was to undertake a significant religious journey, yet we were met with indifference and outright disrespect. The embassy’s complete lack of courtesy has been frustrating and upsetting.

High Fees Without Accountability – Feels Like Exploitation: We paid 1600 SAR upfront, only to be left without a visa, without support, and now facing a potential loss of £1,500 in airfare. It is hard to view this as anything other than exploitation of applicants’ hard-earned money, with no accountability. The lack of information, the unprofessional handling of our queries, and the unexplained rejection make it feel as though the embassy is taking advantage of applicants’ trust and good intentions.

In summary, our experience with the Saudi embassy has been a disheartening mix of poor communication, disrespect, and financial loss. We expected a smooth and respectful process for an important religious trip, and instead, we have been left feeling mistreated and exploited. I strongly urge the embassy to review its visa process, improve its. communication, and treat applicants with the respect they deserve. At present, it feels as though this process is simply a money-making scheme, preying on people’s religious intentions, and it is in dire...

PROCESS FOR TRANSIT VISA I struggled a lot in finding the right way to get this visa so i am sharing it to help others. I received this info from the embassy in London.

For transit visa - if your passport is eligible for transit visa … there are 3 routes:

1- either book your flight DIRECTLY with Saudia (and i think there is another airline) and you can get a transit visa with them for free that is valid up to 96 hours. If you booked via agency, you are not eligible for this.

2-You can either apply visa via an agency they work with, I forgot its name. If you apply through this agency you can get your e-visa without coming to the embassy in London. There will be fees or course.

3- you apply yourself via ksa visa website which is the most recent version of visa service by Saudi arabia. There is another website but this ksa is the most recent one. The visa is free but you must pay insurance and process fee which comes to £25 per person. So this step is done online. However, you then need to come to embassy (they are open to public between 10-11 am) , hand your passport and wait a bit - could be up to 2 hours before they issue your e-visa. Then you pick your passport. This is free. You need appointment but we went without appointment and they kindly and efficiently helped us.

To the embassy we printed our application page, brought passport and printed flight itenary to show we are just transiting.

It is ABSOLUTELY impossible to get through to consulate via phone… really.

The embassy woman who picks the phone is just moody and unhelpful.

Note: as far as i know, you dont need visa if you are transiting through up to 12 hours and you wont leave the airport. However we land to riyadh and go to jeddah and then fly to our final destination. Since we travel within the country we needed transit visa.

Alternatively you can get a tourist visa when you land that is valid for 1 month. This is approx. £86 per person and you need to get in the queue and once it is process apparently it will be with you in 30 mins - so account for this time.

Finally, visitsaudia website has a phone number and the lady there was very helpful. This is a reliable website that helps tourists for free.

Hope you have a...

Mixed feelings about getting a transit visa with Saudi embassy. Originally advised via phone it would only cost around $10 for the transit visa (medical insurance cost only applicable) & would just have to attend embassy after the application with no appointment. Had technical issues and couldn’t get past the medical insurance selection page, so unable to pay. Technical support was unable to assist as they didn’t understand the issue: after trying on a different browser (my iphone) I could pay (it was $25 not $10 after admin fees etc) and the visa status was “sent to embassy”. Emailed embassy to advise I needed it promptly, after reading bad views online taking upto 3 weeks, to which I got an email response the next day to advise to book a tasheer appointment which was no issue until I realised an appointment cost ranged from £57-£127. I decided to visit the embassy direct during my lunch break (no queue); after explaining the issue the receptionist again referred me to the tasheer site. After complaining and stating they told me it was for free; the receptionist was helpful and sorted it (taken my passport) & WITHIN 1 hour I had my transit visa. Update - after responding( complaining) to the email advising me to make an appointment with tasheer via email before attending the embassy in person; one day later I got an email to attend the embassy and they will process for FREE. Very disappointed they want people with a transit visa to pay £57-£127 for an appointment with tasheer when they originally state it would only cost $10 (even though it was really $25 after admin & service fees). Seems like a money making motive. Prompt service provided by embassy in person however, especially as phone calls to them are auto put down after around 1 hour on the phone. Hope this...