Saudi Arabia business visa with Wadi Araba border crossing stamp?
I provide consulting services for a big company in Saudi Arabia and I have to do an unexpected visit (2 weeks visit). The Saudi company is sponsoring the business visa, but in my passport I have a stamp from the Wadi Araba Jordanian border crossing. This stamp means I entered Jordan coming from Israel.
I know to avoid any trouble I should change passports, but the problem is in my country you can make the paperwork to change passports only by appointment, and the next available appointment is in 2 months! I need to be there in 3 weeks, otherwise I will lose a big contract.
Even if I have an invitation letter from the Saudi company, could the Saudi embassy in my country deny the visa? Or assuming I get the visa, once I arrive in Saudi Arabia, could the border agent reject me and turn me back?
Best Answer
Most sources (1 2 3 wikipedia) say that you may be denied entry. There's no definite statement - some say it's not strictly enforced, and report some successes. But it doesn't look like something you want to rely on.
These sources are several years old, and there was recently an informal warm-up in Saudi-Israeli relations. One result is that Air India can now fly to/from Israel over Saudi Arabia. One could assume that they'd also allow entry for previous visitors of Israel, but I found no indication that it's actually so.
I failed to find an official Saudi source.
You should contact the embassy before you travel.
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Can I go to Saudi Arabia with an Israeli stamp?
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Entering Saudi Arabia Via a Land Border In addition to a number of international airports serving national tourist traffic, travelers entering the country with an eVisa may also arrive via one of a number of land entry points.Can I visit Arab countries with an Israeli stamp in my passport?
Some Arab countries will refuse entry to anybody who has an Israeli passport stamp (it is no problem to visit Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, or the UAE with a stamp).Is the Aqaba Eilat border open?
The Aqaba, or Yitzhak Rabin Border Crossing is located between Eilat and the Jordanian city of Aqaba. The Aqaba Border Crossing is open from Sunday to Thursday between 06:30 and 15:30. The border is currently closed on Fridays and Saturdays.Saudi Business Visit Visa Stamping Complete Process (Not permitted to work) under this visa category
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Answer 2
In theory, this could be a problem. In practice, your odds are pretty good, and I personally would probably risk it.
In my experience, Saudi passport inspections particularly when flying in are pretty cursory. They've got a hundred passengers to look at and if your visa is in order, that's all they seem to care about. A stamp from Jordan at the "wrong" crossing won't even be visible in the same way that an Israeli stamp with Hebrew is (which is why Israel usually stamps a separate piece of paper!). Also, if your big company is the big company in Saudi, it wouldn't hurt to bring an official invitation letter and the phone number of somebody who can tell at Immigration if they do spot it and get difficult -- wasta is a powerful force in the Kingdom.
But no, this is not an ironclad guarantee, the only way to be 100% sure is to get a new passport.
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