What you need to enter Saudi Arabia with a Beninese passport
Beninese citizens need an electronic visa for Saudi Arabia, applied for online before the trip.
- e-Visa fee
- 535 SAR
- Minimum passport validity
- 6 months from entry
Why is this passport validity required? →
Last verified: 10 August 2026
Verified practical details
The visa is applied for before your trip, and the procedure is e-Visa (Saudi eVisa). Here are the verified details:
Authorisation system
e-Visa (Saudi eVisa)
Open to the nationalities on Visit Saudi's official list. Valid for 365 days from issue, with multiple entries and a maximum of 90 days' stay in total. You apply online, without going through a consulate.
Apply on the official site →Visa, e-Visa, or electronic authorisation? What's the difference →
Fee
535 SAR
Total cost of the tourist eVisa according to Visit Saudi, the Saudi Tourism Authority's official website. It includes the mandatory health insurance for the stay.
Processing time
According to Visit Saudi, in most cases the eVisa is issued within 5 to 30 minutes.
Required documents
- Passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the planned entry date.
- Recent digital passport-style photo.
- Valid email address to receive the visa.
- Only if you are travelling as a pilgrim (Hajj or Umrah): meningococcal ACWY vaccination certificate (see vacunas_requeridas).
Transit rules
Saudi Arabia has a transit visa for layovers of up to 96 hours, costing SAR 300 and valid for 96 hours from issue; you can pick flights with a connection up to that maximum. It is single-entry (stopping over again means another visa), though there is no limit on how many you may obtain in a year. Requirements: being over 18 unless accompanied by an adult, and a recognised passport, free of restrictions or conditions, valid for at least six months. It is open to the nationalities listed on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs portal, and some cases call for additional verification documents.
More Saudi Arabia rules
They don't depend on your passport, so they are on the Saudi Arabia page:
Official portal: https://visa.visitsaudi.com. Destination data verified on 10 August 2026. Sources: sanidad.gob.es (Spain's Ministry of Health, "Listado de países: requisitos y recomendaciones de vacunación contra la fiebre amarilla") and who.int (WHO, "Country list: yellow fever vaccination requirements and recommendations"): yellow fever requirement (checked 20 September 2026); visa.visitsaudi.com and visitsaudi.com (Saudi Tourism Authority): documents required, the eVisa's SAR 535 cost with health insurance included, and issuing time; gov.uk (UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, "Saudi Arabia travel advice"): the eVisa's 365-day validity, multiple entries and 90-day stay, passport validity, meningococcal vaccine for pilgrims, and the alcohol ban and penalties; moh.gov.sa (Saudi Ministry of Health, "Health Requirements and Recommendations for Travelers to Saudi Arabia for Hajj, 1447H (2026)") and wwwnc.cdc.gov (US CDC, Saudi Arabia destination page): meningococcal ACWY vaccine; zatca.gov.sa (Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, the "Declaration" and "Personal Quantities of Tobacco Products" pages and the FAQ on shisha tobacco, 2026 web.archive.org copies): cash declaration and tobacco limits; my.gov.sa (Saudi government national portal, transit visa), moi.gov.sa (Ministry of Interior, overstay penalties) and ksavisa.sa (official visa platform: passport validity and how refusal works) (checked 29 September 2026).
This pair in context
In the other direction, citizens of Saudi Arabia need an electronic visa to enter Benin. See the Saudi Arabia → Benin page.
Of the 16 passports from Western Africa that VisaRadar tracks, for travel to Saudi Arabia 14 need a prior authorisation or a visa on arrival and 2 need a visa. Same result as Benin: Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.
With a passport from Benin, in the rest of Western Asia you need a prior authorisation or a visa on arrival for Bahrain, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Oman, Qatar, Syria and United Arab Emirates; you need a visa for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Turkey and Yemen.
A passport from Benin ranks 141 of 199 in the VisaRadar passport ranking and reaches 58 of 198 destinations without applying for a visa in advance.
Counts from the same requirements matrix behind this page's verdict, using the UN M49 subregions.
Frequently asked questions
Do Beninese citizens need a visa for Saudi Arabia?
Yes, but it's processed online before you travel (e-visa), no consulate visit required.
How long does it take to get the entry permit?
According to Visit Saudi, in most cases the eVisa is issued within 5 to 30 minutes.
What minimum passport validity is required?
Passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the planned entry date.
What currency is used in Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Riyal (SAR).
What do Beninese passport holders need for the countries near Saudi Arabia?
With a passport from Benin, in the rest of Western Asia you need a prior authorisation or a visa on arrival for Bahrain, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Oman, Qatar, Syria and United Arab Emirates; you need a visa for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Turkey and Yemen.
Related pages
See Saudi Arabia requirements for other passports →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.