Saudi Arabia is huge country and here is a short list of things to see and to do in AlUla.

Tourist Visa

From 27th of September 2019 Saudi Arabia launched eVisas for 49 countries and it also relaxed strict dress codes for female tourists.

How to get visa

Tourist can apply for visa in eVisa Portal. The eVisa is a one-year, multiple entry visa, allowing tourists to spend up to 90 days in the country.

Saudi Arabia Tourist visa costs SAR440. SAR300 is a visa fee and SAR140 is health insurance fee. This fee doesn’t includes VAT (in Saudi Arabia VAT is 15% currently). So the total visa cost is SAR462 including VAT. Saudi Arabia has fixed riyal exchange rate with US dollar. Currently it is $US1 = SAR3.75. So at the moment visa costs US$123 or €113.

Eligible countries

Here is a list of eligible countries to apply for eVisa:

North America

• Canada
• US

Europe

Asia

• Brunei
• China (including Hong Kong and Macau)
• Japan
• Malaysia
• Kazakhstan
• Singapore
• South Korea

Oceania

• Australia
• New Zealand

Travel restrictions

Non-Muslims still are forbidden from visiting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

Behavior and Dress code

It is very important to follow dress code while visiting Saudi Arabia – both men and women are asked to dress modestly in public, avoiding tight fitting clothing or clothes with profane language or images. Women should cover shoulders and knees in public.

Alcohol is banned country and it is even illegal to bring alcohol or drugs into country.

Also during Ramadan avoid eating or drinking in public during the day at this time.

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Countries with Hard-to-Get Visas for Americans

If you are planning to travel abroad and explore what’s beyond your time zone and demographics, the first things you need to comply with are your visa and passport. You can personally go through the tedious and daunting application process or you can find online visa service providers to do the difficult tasks for you. These companies can also help you pinpoint the countries where visas are specifically hard to get for Americans. If you deal with the right visa or passport application services, you just might secure that much-coveted requirement for entry to these countries:

Cuba

Although with a close proximity to the United States, Cuba is deemed so close yet so tricky to enter for Americans. The truth is that the Cuban government is quite open to American tourists. It is the U.S. government that does not allow its citizens to visit Cuba strictly for tourism purposes. The State Department is quite stringent in their visa requirements especially if your destination is any of the remarkable places in Cuba such as the famous Varadero Beach. Cuba does have their popular free universal health care and other baits for tourists but Americans need to have purposes other than tourism to secure a permission to set foot on Cuban soil.

Libya

Due to the civic issues and security concerns in the country, Libya is even much stricter in issuing visas to American tourists. The Libyan government has, in fact, issued visas to Americans since June of 2010. However, despite allowing Americans to visit, the process of getting approved from the embassy is a daunting and painstaking journey.  American travelers would have to hurdle tons of requirements and difficulties before they can have that sought-after visa. Americans that have dual citizenship and would use their non-US status to secure a visa to enter Libya are in even much deeper trouble because when discovered, imprisonment is one of the penalties to face.

North Korea

Aside from the obvious reason that the country does not have their embassy in practically any parts of the globe, North Korea is quite difficult to visit because visa application process is quite lengthy. Although Americans may visit North Korea, getting your visa approved is long and difficult, not to mention a sanctioned guide will be virtually accompanying you at all times once you are on North Korean soil. Your sanctioned guide will be the one who’s in deep trouble in case you want to venture off the beaten path to sightsee. Book your tour to the country and have your visa submitted for approval but make sure you use a trusted online visa service for a risk-free and time-saving application process.

Saudi Arabia

Yes, Saudi Arabia Visa is in the list. American tourists are up for a long and overly stringent visa application if they choose to visit and explore the Desert Kingdom. All visa applicants must comply with the needed requirements particularly a local sponsor and several months of preparing for the application and waiting for it to be approved. Your passport must not also have an Israeli stamp on it if you don’t want to jeopardize your trip and say goodbye to an adventure in this interesting kingdom in the Middle East.

Iraq

Another destination in the Middle East also requires a hard-to-get visa but it’s worth the shot especially if you want to see the exotic and beautiful scenic spots in the country. The Iraqi embassy should basically grant you a visa first which you can get in Washington. However, if you don’t have the time, you can always get assistance from online visa service providers. Other requirements include a valid passport that is still validated for 6 months. You may also get an Entry Visa Approval Memorandum which could be obtained through the Interior Residency Office. US tourists must also willingly submit to a mandatory blood test upon entry in the country.

A lot of countries are welcoming to American tourists with easy to get visas or no visa requirements at all. Hire an established and trusted online visa service company if you are adventurous enough to visit the countries on this list.

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The post The Most Difficult Countries to Get Visas for Americans appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

You need them everywhere – when you are getting tourist visa in airport(one), when getting local SIM card for your mobile phone(one),  when getting national park entry permits (one picture for each park you are planning to visit) , when getting Trekkers’ Information Management System (TIMS) Card(two).  I was lucky as in TIMS office they accepted photocopy of passport page with picture as I run out of photos at that moment and only one left instead of two needed.

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