What Saudi Arabia Actually Launched

Booking a trip usually means juggling three separate things. You pick a flight, you pick a hotel, and somewhere in between, you deal with the visa. Saudi Arabia just made that a single step, at least for travellers from a handful of countries.

On July 7, 2026, the Saudi Tourism Authority launched a pilot programme called the Package Visa. It lets eligible travellers book a return flight, a stay at a licensed hotel, and their tourist eVisa all in one purchase, through an approved travel provider. No separate embassy visit. No separate visa portal. One booking, one confirmation.

And yes, if you are reading this because a client asked, India is genuinely on the list.

How the Package Visa Actually Works, Step by Step

1. Choose an authorised travel provider offering the Package Visa. This is not something you book directly through a government website. It runs through licensed travel agencies and platforms that have been approved to offer the bundled product.
2. Select your flight, hotel and travel dates as part of one combined booking flow, rather than booking each piece separately.
3. Complete the purchase. Your eVisa application is submitted as part of this same transaction, not as a separate step afterward.
4. Receive your eVisa within 48 hours. The Ministry of Tourism has confirmed the electronic visa is typically issued within 48 hours of completing the package purchase.
5. Travel on your confirmed itinerary, with your flight, hotel and entry permission already locked together under one confirmation.

The entire point is removing the anxiety of booking a non refundable flight before knowing whether your visa will actually be approved, a real and common worry for travellers under the traditional separate booking process.

Which Countries Made the List, and Why India Is There

The pilot phase opened with seven countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, and Mexico. The Ministry of Tourism has been clear that this is a starting list, not a final one, and that more nationalities will be added in future phases.

India's inclusion is not a small detail. India has become one of Saudi Arabia's fastest growing source markets for leisure travel in recent years, and putting India in the very first group of eligible countries signals how seriously the Kingdom is treating that demand. For consultants and travel agents serving Indian clients, this means the Package Visa is not a future possibility to explain someday. It is available right now.

What's Actually Included, and What Isn't

This is the detail worth getting right before you recommend this to anyone. The Package Visa bundles a return flight, a stay at a licensed tourist hotel, and a tourist eVisa. It does not include Umrah related services or arrangements specifically for Makkah or Madinah as part of the package itself.

That said, this does not mean the two holy cities are off limits. Visa holders are permitted to travel throughout Saudi Arabia after arrival, including Makkah and Madinah, as general tourists. The distinction is simply that the package is not designed or marketed as an Umrah product, and anyone specifically planning Umrah should not assume this covers that separately regulated process.

Why Now: The Bigger Picture

This programme did not appear out of nowhere. Saudi Arabia welcomed more than 29 million international visitors in 2025, a huge number for a country that only introduced its online tourist eVisa in 2019. Tourism sits at the centre of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 plan to diversify its economy away from oil, and leisure travel has historically been a small part of that picture compared to religious and business travel.

Two upcoming events are raising the stakes further. Saudi Arabia will host the Riyadh 2030 World Expo, and the country is also gearing up as part of the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Both are expected to bring millions of additional travellers, and both give the Kingdom a clear reason to simplify entry now, well before that demand arrives.

Booking Separately vs the Package Visa

What Happens If Something Goes Wrong

Travel plans change, and this is a fair question for any client to ask before booking. According to the Ministry of Tourism, if flights or accommodation are cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, refunds and booking changes are handled according to the policies of the authorised travel service provider used for the booking. In practical terms, this means the specific refund and rebooking terms can vary depending on which approved provider a traveller books through, so it is worth checking that provider's individual policy before confirming payment, rather than assuming a single universal government refund rule applies across every provider.

Should Your Client Use the Package Visa, or Book Separately?

For most first time or leisure travellers from an eligible country, the Package Visa is likely to be the simpler, lower stress option, since it removes the risk of paying for flights before knowing whether the visa will come through in time. It is a strong fit for clients who want a straightforward, all in one confirmation and are not already loyal to a specific airline or hotel loyalty programme.

Booking separately may still make more sense for clients who want to use accumulated airline miles or hotel loyalty points, who need a very specific flight routing not offered through the approved travel providers, or who are combining their Saudi Arabia visit with a longer, multi country itinerary that does not fit neatly into a single bundled package.

Before You Recommend the Package Visa to a Client

•  Confirm the client's nationality is currently on the eligible list: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, or Mexico
•  Book only through an authorised travel provider offering the official Package Visa, not through an unverified third party site
•  Clarify with the client that Umrah services are not included, even though travel to Makkah and Madinah as a tourist is still permitted
•  Check the specific cancellation and refund policy of the chosen travel provider before the client pays
•  Set expectations around the roughly 48 hour eVisa issuance window rather than promising instant approval
•  Keep an eye on future phases, since the Ministry of Tourism has confirmed more countries will be added over time

What This Means for Travel Agents and Consultants

This is genuinely useful news for anyone advising clients on Saudi Arabia travel, and it is worth actively mentioning rather than waiting for clients to ask. A single booking that removes the visa uncertainty problem is a real selling point, especially for first time visitors nervous about the process. For consultants who also handle broader visa advisory work, staying current on which countries get added in future phases will matter, since Saudi Arabia has been clear this pilot is designed to expand.