From 1 July 2026, holders of all types of UK passport can enter Saudi Arabia on a new Electronic Travel Authorisation. The ETA allows multiple entries with stays totalling up to 180 days within a one-year period and covers tourism, business and short-term study, the Saudi Press Agency reports. Work, residence and Hajj visas keep their separate channels.
Riyadh frames the launch as reciprocity: since Britain moved Saudi nationals onto its own £20 ETA and closed the Electronic Visa Waiver to them, Saudi Arabia is now mirroring the digital-permission model for British visitors.
The new route sits alongside the options UK travellers already use — the one-year tourist eVisa (90 days per visit) and Saudi Arabia's own single-entry EVW (up to six months). The ETA's edge is freedom of movement: come and go as you like, with double the annual allowance of the tourist eVisa. Whether it will eventually replace the EVW for British passports remains open.