The Consulate Generals of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the United States have reversed the recent global decision requiring business and work visa applicants to purchase additional medical insurance before being granted a visa to the Kingdom. Visa applications submitted by U.S. citizens at the Saudi Arabian consulates in Washington, D.C.; New York; Los Angeles; and Houston are being processed without requesting the purchase of an additional medical policy covering the applicant’s travel to Saudi Arabia.
On June 20th this year, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry began requiring all foreign nationals applying for both short- and long-term visas to Saudi Arabia, including business and work visas, to purchase medical insurance covering their stay in the country (see our Global Immigration Dispatch of July 11, 2016). Visa applicants had to purchase this additional coverage regardless of whether they had existing foreign medical insurance covering their stay, frustrating travelers with this additional expense when many already had sufficient coverage. In the online Enjaz registration portion of the Saudi visa application, applicants were asked to select from four medical insurance plans ranging in price from USD $100 to $400.
