travel

Saudi business visa rejections rise as scrutiny tightens

Riyadh is tightening scrutiny of business visas used mainly by UAE-based professionals travelling into Saudi Arabia, disrupting a decades-long practice that has let companies run projects in the kingdom without staff relocation.

There are no official figures on rejections, but immigration advisers and executives say they have seen more applications returned or refused in recent weeks, particularly for technical specialists and frequent visitors.

The “fly-in fly-out model”, as it is occasionally called, typically involves the misuse of a visa meant as a short-term permit for meetings and relationship-building, not revenue-generating work. Specialists say such misapplication has triggered the clampdown.

Abeer Husseini, a partner at global immigration law practice Fragomen, told AGBI there has been “scaled” misuse of business visas that are not intended for productive work.

“Based on our recent experience, we are seeing a higher possibility for business visa applications to be returned in certain scenarios,” Husseini said.

Abdulrahman Alfahad, a client relationship manager at Sovereign PPG Corporate Services in Saudi Arabia, said companies have relied on repeated business visits for individuals carrying out day-to-day operational roles, “which goes beyond the intended scope of a business visit visa”.

“Authorities are paying closer attention to travel frequency, length of stay and the nature of activities undertaken, particularly where patterns resemble full-time employment,” Alfahad said.

He said the impact is being felt mostly by consulting, professional services and project-based sectors, as well as regional headquarters structures where staff frequently travel in and out of the kingdom.

More than 10 UAE-based professionals at companies across banking, law and management consulting told AGBI their business trips to Saudi Arabia have been cancelled or delayed in recent months, though previously they had been entering and leaving the country nearly every week.

Immigration experts said the stricter outcomes reflect Saudi Arabia’s broader drive to support labour-market policies and a shift toward international standards.

“Saudi is clearly moving towards international best practice by drawing a firmer distinction between permissible business activities and work that requires employment authorisation,” Alfahad said.

Saudi Arabia has been pushing companies to build onshore capacity under Vision 2030 and meet Saudisation requirements – rules that require companies to employ a set proportion of nationals.

In 2024, it required businesses to base their regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia to qualify for government contracts.

Many multinationals that have long run operations out of Dubai have moved to meet Riyadh’s requirements, drawn by the scale of business in Saudi Arabia, which has the Gulf’s largest population.

But an HR executive, who declined to be identified, told AGBI that while companies have set up headquarters in Saudi Arabia, staffing is kept to a minimum – both to limit Saudisation quotas, which increase with each expatriate hire, and because employees are unwilling to relocate.

“Misuse of business visas can distort workforce reporting, and stricter enforcement supports more accurate Saudisation compliance and localisation objectives,” Alfahad said.

Ahmed Hassounah, managing director at Job Borsa, a Saudi recruitment services company that helps businesses comply with localisation requirements, said the goal is enforcement, not disruption for businesses already operating in Saudi Arabia.

“What the government is really focused on is ensuring that citizens and employees are trained and actively participating in the market,” Hassounah said.

AGBI

travel

Top 10 countries with the highest Schengen visa rejection

While thousands of UAE residents are currently scrambling to lock in travel plans ahead of the upcoming two-month school summer holiday, a smooth European getaway is far from a guarantee. In fact, choosing the wrong diplomatic mission right now could completely derail your vacation before it even begins.

The latest visa statistics from the European Commission reveal a stark reality for local holidaymakers: while some European nations welcome travellers with open arms, including giving them multiple-entry Schengen visas, a select group of consulates inside the UAE are proving to be major brick walls.

Surge in applications

Globally, the EU and Schengen-associated consulates received nearly 12 million applications for short-stay visas in 2025, a 1.8 percent increase from 2024 (11.7 million) and a 15.5 percent rise from 2023 (10.3 million). However, overall demand remained well below the 17 million applications recorded in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.

10 million visas

Over 10 million visas were issued globally in 2025, a 3 percent increase from 2024 (9.7 million). While the global refusal rate held steady at 14.8 percent, rejection rates inside the UAE tell a wildly different story for certain destinations, with several consulates turning away more than a third — and in some cases, over half — of all local applicants.

Highest rejection rates

Data reveals that Bulgaria is statistically the hardest Schengen visa to secure in the UAE. The country maintains a staggering official rejection rate of 58.2 percent, turning away 2,473 applicants out of 4,494 requests.

Luxembourg follows closely as the second-hardest destination, with a 48.5 percent rejection rate, meaning nearly one out of every two UAE applicants is denied. Estonia takes the third spot with a refusal rate of 46.4 percent across its 468 applications.

The high-volume traps

While smaller European states often see high percentages due to lower application volumes, several massive, mainstream holiday destinations in the UAE are operating as major rejection traps for unsuspecting holidaymakers.

Malta rejected 45.9 percent of its 7,079 applicants in the UAE, while Croatia denied 42.6 percent of the 2,092 people who applied. Meanwhile, Nordic favourite Sweden maintained a strict barrier, rejecting 40.7 percent of its 6,312 local applicants.

Popular Eastern European hub Hungary crossed the 10,000-application milestone in the UAE but proved to be highly exclusive, turning down 35.2 percent (3,636 applicants) of its total pool. Poland also sits high on the refusal leaderboard at 32.5 percent.

Rounding out the top 10 hardest states are Denmark and Slovakia. Denmark processed a massive 17,288 applications from the UAE but handed out rejections to 31.8 percent of them, while Slovakia refused 31.5 percent of its 1,110 applicants.

Smart travel strategy

The data indicates that instead of gambling on boutique destinations or strict Nordic states, smart UAE travellers should anchor their summer holiday itineraries with diplomatic heavyweights like Spain, France, or Germany, all of which boast significantly higher pure approval rates locally.

Gulf news

travel

Saudi Arabia bans in-flight power bank charging

operating at the Kingdom’s airports, updating regulations governing the carriage of portable chargers, commonly known as power banks, and other electronic devices onboard aircraft.

The authority announced the updated rules on social media, saying the measures are aimed at enhancing aviation safety and aligning with international standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Charging power banks onboard banned

Under the new regulations, passengers and cabin crew are prohibited from recharging portable power banks during flights.

The authority said the measures are intended to strengthen aviation safety and security across all flights operating in the Kingdom.

Power banks allowed only in cabin baggage

The updated rules also state that power banks must be carried only in hand luggage inside the aircraft cabin and are strictly prohibited in checked baggage.

Passengers will be allowed to carry a maximum of two portable chargers each onboard.

As an added precautionary measure, the authority further recommended avoiding the use of power banks to charge electronic devices during flights.

travel

UAE restores normal air traffic operations

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has announced that air traffic in the UAE’s airspace has returned to normal operations, with temporary precautionary measures lifted.

The authority said the decision followed a comprehensive assessment of operational and security conditions, carried out in coordination with relevant entities. It stressed that real-time monitoring will continue to ensure the highest levels of aviation safety.

The GCAA also expressed its appreciation for the cooperation of passengers and airlines during the recent period, reaffirming the readiness of its technical and operational teams to respond to any potential developments.

It urged the public to rely on official sources for information.