Last updated: 31 October 2026
The Saudi Embassy in Islamabad has started same-day visa processing for Pakistani citizens. Saudi Ambassador Dr Rajeh bin Tami Al-Baqami announced the change on Friday 30 October 2026. He said it takes effect immediately and is meant to make travel easier and support business, cultural and people-to-people links between the two countries.
Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik also shared the news after meeting the new ambassador in Islamabad. The meeting itself was mainly about energy: oil storage, refinery upgrades, LPG supply and minerals.
What has been announced
- Where: the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Islamabad.
- Who: Pakistani citizens applying for a Saudi visa.
- What changes: visa applications are processed on the same day they are submitted, instead of waiting several days for the embassy step.
- From when: immediately, according to Dawn’s report of the announcement.
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How the visa process works for Pakistanis today
For a work or family visit visa, the sponsor in Saudi Arabia first gets the visa approval or invitation on the Saudi side. The applicant in Pakistan then completes biometrics at a Tasheer centre and submits the passport and documents, which go to the embassy for the final visa. Same-day processing speeds up that last embassy stage.
What is still unclear
The announcement was short, and several practical points have not been explained yet:
- Which visa types are covered. The reports do not say whether this applies to work visas, family visit visas, business visas, Umrah visas or all of them.
- Whether the Saudi Consulate in Karachi follows the same rule. The reports mention only the embassy in Islamabad.
- Whether there is an extra fee for same-day service.
- How it fits with the other steps. For most Pakistani applicants the embassy stamp is only one part of the process. Biometrics at a Tasheer centre, the medical test and, for workers, the skills verification are separate steps, and the announcement does not say they will also be faster.
Many Pakistani families in Saudi Arabia know how a visa can sit for days at the stamping stage while tickets and leave dates are already fixed. If the same-day rule covers the common visa types, most of that waiting time could disappear.
What Pakistani applicants should do now
- Do not pay agents for “same-day” service. The embassy has not announced any special fee or agent channel. Treat anyone selling a guaranteed same-day visa with caution.
- Book your biometrics first. Most applicants still need a Tasheer appointment before the passport reaches the embassy. Our guide to the Tasheer appointment covers booking, fees, documents and centres.
- Workers: keep your medical report, skills test result and contract ready. The full steps and costs in PKR are in our Saudi work visa from Pakistan guide.
- Families: if your relative in Saudi Arabia is applying for you, see how the family visit visa works on MOFA and KSA Visa.
- Track the result: once your visa is issued you can check your Saudi visa online by passport number.
- Umrah travellers: Umrah visas are mostly issued online through approved companies, so plan your budget with our Umrah cost from Pakistan guide.
Not the same as visa-free travel
Same-day processing still means ordinary Pakistani passport holders need a visa. The visa exemption agreed earlier between the two countries covers only diplomatic and official passports, as we explained in Saudi-Pakistan visa exemption: only diplomatic and official passports.
Why it matters
Pakistan is one of the largest sources of workers in Saudi Arabia, with well over two million Pakistanis living in the Kingdom. Faster visas help workers join new jobs on time, let families plan visits around school holidays and make short business trips easier to arrange.
We will update this page when the Saudi Embassy publishes details on which visas are covered and how to apply.
Sources: announcement by Saudi Ambassador Dr Rajeh bin Tami Al-Baqami, as reported by Dawn (30 October 2026), The Express Tribune and Pakistan Observer (31 October 2026).