Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, London - London

Billal H.

I had an excellent experience at the Saudi embassy during my recent visit. The lady at reception was incredibly professional and attentive, guiding me through the process with ease. I appreciated her prompt responses to my inquiries and their clear communication. I left feeling informed and valued with having my issue resolved. Highly recommend their service! Thank you for all your help.

Fahim A.

such a poor service ,they never pick your call and no response .
I feel got scammed while applied for umrah visa ,submitted application and made payment but no response at all..nothing
lost my money,
Is it from saudi arabia operating or any 3rd class country Embassy ?

Ubaid N.

The staff are helpful when available, but their operating hours are quite limited. They still follow the Ramadan schedule of 10 AM to 3 PM, which is no longer appropriate. Be mindful of these hours, as they are strict and do not accommodate even if you’ve traveled a long distance.

Message to the Head of the Saudi Embassy: Please consider updating the operating hours. Ramadan has long passed, yet the staff continue to lazily follow the same timings, causing unnecessary delays and long waits for visitors because your website shows another timing of 9 to 4pm.

Moon

I had a very unprofessional experience when I tried calling twice and waited for an hour, but received no response. I just needed to ask one simple question. Does anyone know if Saudi Arabia recognizes travel documents for entry for Umrah? I already have the e-visa, but I am worried about entry without a passport. I don't want to get stuck there. Any help would be much appreciated. 🙏

Syed A.

I want to give Zero however cannot. It is a disgraceful to the name 'customer service'. No one answers and that's after waiting for almost an hour. It surprises me that Saudi cannot get a website to work properly and now their so called embassy is a disgrace.
What can I say, more money than sense!

Z K.

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 safe journey

Raheel Z.

This Saudi embassy is a total opposite of the hard work and efforts of the government and the royal family. Saudi is trying to invest in tourism and attract investors from all around the world only for the embassy and its staff to give Saudi a really bad image. It’s sad to see that the country wants to move forward and open the gates for people around the world only for their own people in the embassy to give them a bad name and put of the investors. My investors visa was rejected on no basis at all, after I had set up a company in Saudi and put in investment. The general reason given for the rejection was ‘it’s down the visa officer and whatever he decides’. The lack of Human rights and Human Resources will massively impact the growth of the country. Sometimes it is far too obvious that embassies have a racial agenda against certain nationalities! Hope things will change in the near future as I said, the government and Royal family have worked really hard to bring the country to where it is but it will take a lot more effort to make it a success! Please beware of requirements and before making an investment into the country.

Mahmood A.

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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 need of reform.