Saudi Arabia has launched an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for British nationals, a multiple-entry travel pass valid for two years, in a reciprocal move that mirrors the entry scheme Britain applies to Saudi citizens.
The pass eases access to a market Saudi Arabia is working hard to grow under its Vision 2030 tourism drive, and lands as the kingdom courts inbound visitors from established Western source markets alongside its newer push into China. It covers tourism, business, study, medical treatment and Umrah outside the Hajj season, and allows a maximum stay of 180 days per year across multiple visits. Work, residency and Hajj travel remain outside the scheme and still require separate visas.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the service through the Saudi Press Agency on June 25, with the route going live on July 1. It applies to all categories of British passport and is issued online.
Riyadh framed the ETA as a step reflecting long-standing ties between the two countries and following similar travel facilitation Britain has extended to Saudi nationals. Saudi citizens have needed a UK ETA to enter Britain visa-free since that scheme rolled out, and the two systems now operate in step.
The ETA is exclusive to British passport holders and cannot be used by other nationalities. Saudi Arabia runs a separate e-visa open to more than 60 nationalities, and a single-entry electronic visa waiver, for visitors from other markets.
Why it matters for the trade
The 180-day annual allowance and two-year validity make this one of the more generous entry arrangements Saudi Arabia offers any market, and it directly benefits UK operators running repeat or long-stay product. Tour operators building multi-trip itineraries, expedition series or education and medical-travel packages no longer need to route clients through a single-entry visa each time, which lowers the administrative drag on repeat bookings.
For the British outbound trade, the practical gain is planning certainty: a client who visits AlUla or the Red Sea coast on one trip can return within the same authorisation, making it easier to sell Saudi Arabia as a destination clients come back to rather than tick off once. The inclusion of Umrah outside Hajz season also matters for the UK faith-travel sector, one of the larger and more consistent British outbound segments to the kingdom.
The reciprocity with the UK’s own ETA signals a maturing bilateral travel relationship, and operators should expect Saudi Arabia to keep smoothing entry as it chases its Vision 2030 visitor targets.