Saudi eVisa with a French residence permit: eVisa or Umrah visa?

The answer depends on your permit

Many Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian nationals have lived in France for years. Their passports are not on the Saudi tourist eVisa list. Their residence in France can still open the eVisa to them, on one condition that makes all the difference.

For someone living in France, the route to look at is permanent residence in the European Union. The word "permanent" matters: it rules out many French residence permits. Our guide to the eVisa through residence covers all three routes in detail.

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French residence permits, explained

Service-Public.fr sorts permits into several families. The temporary residence card lasts up to one year. The multi-year card, normally issued after a first year, usually lasts four years, sometimes two. Both must be renewed and depend on the reason for the stay: work, study, private and family life.

The resident card lasts ten years and is renewable. It is granted, for example, to spouses of French nationals after three years of marriage, or to refugees. The EU long-term resident card, also valid for ten years, requires at least five years of lawful, continuous residence in France; the card itself reads "résident de longue durée - UE". At renewal, either card can be replaced by the permanent resident card, also valid for ten years.

Algerian nationals fall under a separate regime: they receive a residence certificate, for one or ten years, and the permanent resident card does not apply to them.

What Saudi Arabia means by "permanent resident"

In practice, the portal asks for the document that proves residence. Keep your card valid for the dates of travel and a clear copy of both sides. Our eligibility checker shows the routes open to your passport.

The Schengen visa does not come from your residence permit

One mix-up comes up again and again. Your French residence permit lets you travel within the Schengen area, but it is not a Schengen visa. The route for "holders of visit visas" covers a visa in the passport, issued to a traveller who does not live in that country.

That route may still apply to you another way. If you hold a US or UK visit visa, it counts. The 2023 announcements add that the visa must have been used at least once to enter the country that issued it; the platform's wording does not repeat this, and we follow the stricter reading.

In Belgium: cards A, B, K and L

Otherwise: the Umrah visa, with a package

If no eVisa route applies, the Umrah visa remains. According to the official FAQ of the Saudi ministry in charge of Umrah, it is an electronic visa obtained through an approved platform such as Nusuk or through an authorised agent. It is not issued without an accommodation and transport package, and it allows a 90-day stay that cannot be extended.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs platform adds that applications go through Nusuk and authorised agents. Official fees and the package come on top, and are shown before you pay. Our guide eVisa or Umrah visa compares the two routes, and Umrah from the Maghreb covers travellers leaving from their home country.

How to proceed

1. 1

   Identify your permit

   Read the exact wording on your card: temporary, multi-year, resident, EU long-term resident, permanent resident, residence certificate.

2. 2

   Look for another route

   A US or UK visa you have already used may be enough, whatever your residence permit.

3. 3

   Check validity dates

   Passport valid for at least 6 months. Residence permit valid for the whole trip.

4. 4

   Apply before booking

   If your permit is a long-term one, apply for the eVisa before buying non-refundable tickets.

5. 5

   Otherwise, switch to the Umrah visa

   Through an authorised agency or the Nusuk platform, with the accommodation and transport package.

What myumrahvisa does for you

For individual travellers, we enter the eVisa application on the official portal. You send us your passport and the document that proves your route: resident card, or used visa with its entry stamp. A member of our team checks it before we apply and tells you plainly if your case falls into a grey area.

If no eVisa route applies, we tell you and nothing is charged. The Umrah visa for individual travellers is coming soon on our side; you can already check your situation with the eligibility checker.