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Update April 12, 2024

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Saudi Arabia

Foreign Consular Office Contact Information

Washington, DC

Email the Saudi Embassy

Telephone (202) 342-3800, (202) 944-3126

Houston, TX

Email the Saudi Consulate General in Houston

Telephone (713) 785-5577; Fax (713) 785-1163

Los Angeles, CA

Email the Saudi Consulate General in Los Angeles

Telephone (310) 479-6000

New York, NY

Email the Saudi Consulate General in New York City

Telephone (212) 752-2740; Fax (212) 688-2719

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In saudi arabia.

On October 25, President Biden announced a Presidential Proclamation titled “A Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” This proclamation, which takes effect at 12:01 am Eastern Standard Time on November 8, 2021, will end the travel restrictions under Presidential Proclamations (P.P.) 9984, 9992, 10143, and 10199 as they relate to the suspension of entry into the United States of persons physically present in Brazil, China, India, Iran, Ireland, the Schengen Area, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. In place of these restrictions, the President announced a global vaccination requirement for all adult foreign national travelers. This proclamation applies to persons aboard a flight scheduled to arrive in the United States that departs after 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on November 8, 2021. More information about this global vaccination requirement, including details on exceptions and waivers due to humanitarian concerns, is available at Non-U.S. citizen, Non-U.S. immigrants: Air Travel to the United States | CDC . Pursuant to President Biden’s proclamation, as of November 8, the Department of State can process visa applications for individuals physically present in the affected countries.

As of March 1, 2021, the United States Mission to Saudi Arabia resumed routine nonimmigrant visa services in limited numbers. Travelers can schedule appointments for the range of visa categories on-line. While the Embassy and Consulates General aim to process cases as soon as practicable, substantial backlogs of applications and limited capacity due to COVID-19 mitigation measures will result in longer wait times for appointments. We understand that many nonimmigrant visa applicants paid a visa application fee (known as the MRV fee) and are still waiting to schedule a visa interview. The U.S. Mission will extend the validity of this MRV fee until September 30, 2022, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule an appointment as a result of the suspension of routine visa services an opportunity to schedule an appointment with the already paid fee. If you have an urgent matter and need to travel immediately, please follow the guidance provided at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/sa to request an emergency appointment. In late 2020 the Embassy resumed most immigrant visa services, including: boarding foils for LPRs, limited immediate relative (IR-1/CR-1 and IR-2), employment (EB-3 and 5), fiancé (K) and returning resident (SB-1). While the Embassy aims to process cases as soon as practicable, wait times will be lengthy as we work through substantial backlogs.

The U.S. Embassy Riyadh and the Consulates General in Dhahran and Jeddah understands that many visa applicants have paid the visa application processing fee and are still waiting to schedule a visa appointment. We are working diligently to restore all routine visa operations as quickly and safely as possible. In the meantime, rest assured that the U.S. Mission will extend the validity of your payment (known as the MRV fee) until September 30,2023, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule a visa appointment as a result of the suspension of routine consular operations an opportunity to schedule and/or attend a visa appointment with the already paid fee. Please continue to monitor this site for information on when we will return to routine visa operations.

On October 25, President Biden announced a Presidential Proclamation titled “A Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”  This proclamation, which took effect at 12:01 am Eastern Standard Time on November 8, 2021, ended the travel restrictions under Presidential Proclamations (P.P.) 9984, 9992, 10143, and 10199 as they relate to the suspension of entry into the United States of persons physically present in Brazil, China, India, Iran, Ireland, the Schengen Area, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.  In place of these restrictions, the President announced a global vaccination requirement for all adult foreign national travelers.  More information about this global vaccination requirement, including details on exceptions and waivers due to humanitarian concerns, is available at the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website .

Effective January 26, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will require all air passengers entering the United States to present a negative COVID-19 test (a viral detection test for SARS-CoV- 2 approved or authorized by the relevant national authority), taken within 72 hours of departure. Airlines must confirm the negative test result for all passengers before boarding. Airlines must deny boarding of passengers if they do not provide documentation of a negative test or recovery. This requirement is separate from the visa application process. All Presidential Proclamations restricting travel due to COVID-19 remain in place and continue to apply to subject potential travelers regardless of their test results or vaccination status. Travelers holding a National Interest Exception also remain subject to all applicable pre-departure testing requirements. For more information on waivers to the testing requirement please click here .

Additionally, if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, or believe you may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, you are strongly encouraged to postpone your appointment by at least 14 days.

Secretary Blinken, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, has temporarily expanded the ability of consular officers to waive the in-person interview requirement for individuals applying for a nonimmigrant visa in the same classification. Previously, only those applicants whose nonimmigrant visa expired within 24 months were eligible for an interview waiver. The Secretary has temporarily extended the expiration period to 48 months. This policy is in effect until December 31, 2021. This change will allow consular officers to continue processing certain nonimmigrant visa applications while limiting the number of applicants who must appear at a consular section, thereby reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission to other applicants and consular staff. Travelers are encouraged to review the website of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for detailed information on what services are currently available as well as eligibility information and instructions on applying for a visa without an interview.

Please ensure that all personal (full name, passport information, etc.) and contact information (phone number, email, etc.) provided is for the applicant requesting a visa and reflects the information exactly as is in the passport. The failure to provide the correct personal and contact information will result in the delay or cancellation of your visa application process and the delay in the return of your passport.

Please list your mobile number as your primary phone

On May 14, 2021, PresidentBiden revoked Presidential Proclamation 9945, Suspension of Entry to Immigrants Who Will Financially Burden the United States Healthcare System.

Welcome to the U.S. Visa Information Service for Saudi Arabia. On this website you can find information about U.S. immigrant and nonimmigrant visas and the requirements to apply for each. You can also learn how to pay the required visa application fee, and book an interview appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulates in Dhahran and Jeddah.

This is the official visa information website of the U.S. Mission in Saudi Arabia.

Nonimmigrant Visa Information

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Us state secretary blinken to travel to saudi arabia next week.

WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary for State Antony Blinken will visit Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday to meet with regional partners and discuss efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages, the State Department said on Saturday.

"He will discuss the recent increase in humanitarian assistance being delivered to Gaza and underscore the importance of ensuring that increase is sustained," the State Department said in a statement.

"The Secretary will also emphasize the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading and discuss ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace and security in the region, including through a pathway to an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel." (Reporting By Lucia Mutikani and Eric Beech; Editing by David Gregorio)

US State Secretary Blinken to Travel to Saudi Arabia Next Week

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gestures, as he and his wife Evan Ryan board a plane at the U.S. Naval Support Activity base, after the G7 foreign ministers summit on Capri island, in Naples, Italy, April 19, 2024. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/Pool/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday to meet with regional partners and discuss efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages, the State Department said on Saturday.

"He will discuss the recent increase in humanitarian assistance being delivered to Gaza and underscore the importance of ensuring that increase is sustained," the State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in statement.

"The Secretary will also emphasize the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading and discuss ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace and security in the region, including through a pathway to an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel."

War in Israel and Gaza

Blinken is not scheduled to visit Israel on this trip. War began in Gaza after Hamas fighters crossed into Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Nearly 32,000 people have been confirmed killed in Israel's retaliatory onslaught, according to Palestinian health officials in Hamas-run Gaza, with thousands more feared lost under the rubble.

During his two-day visit, Blinken will participate in a ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council, working to advance security coordination in the region, Miller said.

Photos You Should See - April 2024

Blinken will also attend the World Economic Forum's special meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development, where he will coordinate with U.S. partners "to ensure continued progress on climate change mitigation and the global energy transition," Miller added.

(Reporting By Lucia Mutikani and Eric Beech; Editing by David Gregorio and Deepa Babington)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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Tags: United States , Israel , Asia , Middle East , Saudi Arabia

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Blinken to Meet With Arab Officials in Saudi Arabia About Israel-Gaza War

The U.S. secretary of state plans to raise the issues of hostages held by Hamas, a potential cease-fire, humanitarian aid and a long-term political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

• Share full article

By Edward Wong

Reporting from Washington

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday to speak with top Arab officials and try to figure out possible solutions for the thorniest issues of the Israel-Gaza war, including humanitarian aid, reconstruction and hostages, the State Department said on Saturday.

One of Mr. Blinken’s priorities on Monday and Tuesday will be discussing “ongoing efforts to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza that secures the release of hostages,” a department spokesman, Matthew Miller, said in a statement. He added that Mr. Blinken would underscore his belief that it is Hamas that stands in the way of a cease-fire for the Palestinian people, since the group is not budging on the hostage negotiations.

Saudi Arabia is hosting a three-day meeting of the World Economic Forum, and top Arab officials, including Mr. Blinken’s diplomatic counterparts, are attending. They include senior ministers from Qatar and Egypt, which have been the two Arab mediators in multiple rounds of talks over a potential hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas.

The forum’s website says Mr. Blinken will be in a half-hour public “conversation” starting at 12:45 p.m. on Monday, the final day of the conference.

American officials are pushing for Hamas to release about 40 of the 100 or more hostages it is holding in exchange for the liberation of many more Palestinian prisoners and a six-week cease-fire. U.S. officials say that would be the first step in securing a permanent cease-fire, and Israel supports the proposal. However, Hamas has insisted on a commitment to a permanent cease-fire, and many Arab officials, including in Saudi Arabia, have been calling for the same; those officials say that such a cease-fire should take place immediately.

Mr. Blinken and other top aides of President Biden have also been trying to push for a long-term political solution to the conflict. In their best-case scenario, they envision Saudi Arabia and perhaps a few other Arab nations agreeing to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel. In exchange, Saudi Arabia would receive advanced weapons and security guarantees, including a mutual defense treaty , from the United States, and a commitment for U.S. cooperation on a civilian nuclear program in the kingdom .

For its part, Israel would have to commit to a concrete pathway to the founding of a Palestinian nation, with specific deadlines, U.S. and Saudi officials say.

Before the war started last October, U.S. and Saudi officials were in intense discussions to reach an agreement on the terms of such a proposal. For those negotiators, a big question at the time was what Israel would agree to. Since the war began, the Americans and Saudis have publicly insisted that Israel must agree to the existence of a Palestinian state.

But Israeli leaders and ordinary citizens have become even more resistant to that idea since the Oct. 7 attacks, in which Hamas and allied gunmen killed more than 1,200 people and took about 240 people as hostages. About 100 of the hostages were released last November in a prisoner swap during a weeklong cease-fire. The Israeli military has launched attacks to eradicate Hamas from Gaza, where the health ministry says more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed.

Mr. Miller also said on Saturday that Mr. Blinken planned to discuss “continued progress on climate change mitigation and the global energy transition” at one of the World Economic Forum events. The secretary also expected to attend a meeting of ministers from nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional organization, to talk about security coordination.

An Israeli official told The New York Times on Friday that Mr. Blinken planned to visit Israel while in the region.

If Mr. Blinken does go there, the topics he is likely to discuss would no doubt be the same ones on his agenda for Riyadh, including increasing humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza, a potential political solution in the form of a multicountry megadeal and the impasse over a hostage/cease-fire agreement. He would also probably discuss Israel’s plans for a major offensive in the Rafah area of Gaza, which Mr. Biden opposes.

The details of Mr. Blinken’s scheduled trips to the Middle East often change at the last minute . As of Saturday night, the State Department has not announced any stops beyond Riyadh.

Edward Wong is a diplomatic correspondent who has reported for The Times for more than 24 years from New York, Baghdad, Beijing and Washington. He was on a team of Pulitzer Prize finalists for Iraq War coverage. More about Edward Wong

Our Coverage of the Israel-Hamas War

News and Analysis

As diplomats converged in the Middle East, seeking a cease-fire in Gaza , Israel wrestled with whether to go forward with a ground invasion of Rafah , a city in the enclave’s south where more than a million Palestinians have fled the war.

Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants  for senior government officials on charges related to the conflict with Hamas.

World Central Kitchen said that it would resume operations in Gaza  with a local team of Palestinian aid workers, nearly a month after seven of its workers were killed in an Israeli attack.

Campus Protests in the U.S.: On quads and lawns from coast to coast, U.S. colleges are grappling with a groundswell of student activism  over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Administrators are having to make controversial decisions .

Cracking Down on Protests: Grief and rage over the Gaza war and Israel have led to demonstrations across the Arab world. Arrests suggest governments fear the outrage could boomerang .

Imagining Gaza’s Reconstruction: International development agencies have been meeting with Middle East business interests and urban planners to map out an economic future for the territory .

Showing Liberal Dismay: Representative Mark Pocan, the progressive Democrat from a rural, mostly white Wisconsin district, is determined to let President Biden know that it is not just young people of color who are concerned about the war .

US Secretary of State to travel to Jordan and Israel — State Dept

W ASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will expand his trip to the Middle East and continue onto Jordan and Israel after visiting Saudi Arabia, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Sunday.

In a statement, Miller said Blinken will focus on the effort to secure a ceasefire in Gaza that will see the release of hostages and ensure humanitarian aid into the enclave continues or increases.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; editing by Diane Craft)

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US Secretary of State Blinken to travel to Saudi Arabia next week

WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Saudi Arabia on April 29-30 to meet regional partners and discuss efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages, the State Department said on April 27.

“He will discuss the recent increase in humanitarian assistance being delivered to Gaza and underscore the importance of ensuring that increase is sustained,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in statement.

“The Secretary will also emphasise the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading and discuss ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace and security in the region, including through a pathway to an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel.”

Mr Blinken is not scheduled to visit Israel on this trip.

War began in Gaza after Hamas fighters crossed into Israel on Oct 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Nearly 32,000 people have been confirmed killed in Israel’s retaliatory onslaught, according to Palestinian health officials in Hamas-run Gaza, with thousands more feared lost under the rubble.

During his two-day visit, Mr Blinken will participate in a ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council, working to advance security coordination in the region, Mr Miller said.

Mr Blinken will also attend the World Economic Forum’s special meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development, where he will coordinate with US partners “to ensure continued progress on climate change mitigation and the global energy transition,” Mr Miller added. REUTERS

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