Schengen Visa for Saudi Nationals in the UK (2026 Guide)

TL;DR

Saudi citizens need a Schengen visa. If you legally live in the UK, as a sponsored student, a researcher or a professional, you apply in the UK with your BRP or eVisa share code, not in Riyadh or Jeddah. The five-year multiple-entry rule for Saudis applies to applications lodged in Saudi Arabia; in the UK the standard rules apply. Fee €90 (about £81) plus the centre's fee; we prepare and book it for £99. The fixed facts:

Schengen short-stay visa key facts, 2026

Schengen short-stay visa (Type C)	2026
Visa fee (adult)	€90
Visa fee (child 6 to 11)	€45
Visa fee (child under 6)	Free
Maximum stay	90 days in any rolling 180-day period
Standard processing	15 calendar days (up to 45 in some cases)
Travel insurance, minimum cover	€30,000
Passport	Issued within 10 years; valid 3+ months beyond your trip
Member states	29 countries

Do Saudi citizens need a Schengen visa?

Yes. Saudi Arabia is on the EU's list of nationalities that need a visa to cross the Schengen external border (Annex I of Regulation 2018/1806), so every Saudi passport holder needs a short-stay (Type C) visa for tourism, a conference, business or a family visit, wherever they apply.

This page is for Saudis who live in the UK. If you live in Saudi Arabia, you apply there, through the operator your destination uses in the Kingdom, and different fees and rules apply; see applying from Saudi Arabia. A relative visiting you in the UK on a UK visit visa also applies at home, not in London.

Proving you live in the UK

Consulates take an application from a non-EU national who legally resides in their district. You prove that with:

• an eVisa share code from your UKVI account on gov.uk ("view and prove your immigration status"), with the printed status page and your date of birth. Generate it close to the appointment; codes expire. See the eVisa share code guide.
• a valid BRP card, front and back, if you still hold one
• the visa vignette in your passport, for a recent arrival

Your UK permission should run well beyond the trip; many consulates look for at least three months after you return. A Student visa that ends shortly after your course is the point to check before booking a summer trip. We do not advise on UK immigration status.

Sponsored students: the documents that carry the file

Most Saudi applicants in the UK are students whose fees and living costs are paid by a government or employer scholarship. The consulate wants to see that the funding is real, that it reaches you, and that you are enrolled and expected back:

Professionals send the same funds and ties evidence as any employee: an employer letter with approved leave and a return date, payslips and statements. See the student guide and the proof of funds guide.

Which consulate do Saudis in the UK apply to?

The main destination: the country where you will spend the most nights, or the country of first entry if the nights are equal. Choosing a country for its appointment calendar is a refusal ground. Once issued, the visa covers the whole Schengen area.

Every country is in the cost index. Guides: France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland.

Multiple-entry visas: Saudi Arabia versus the UK

In April 2024 the European Commission adopted adapted rules for Saudi nationals: a multiple-entry visa valid for five years is issued to Saudi nationals residing in Saudi Arabia who apply at Schengen consulates in Saudi Arabia and meet the entry conditions. The decision's scope is applications lodged in the Kingdom.

An application lodged in the UK is outside that decision. It follows Article 24 of the Visa Code: a one-year multiple-entry visa after three visas obtained and used lawfully in the previous two years, two years after a one-year visa, five years after a two-year visa, each at the consulate's discretion, and a consulate may issue a longer visa in justified cases if you show a need to travel often. List every previous Schengen visa, including those issued in Saudi Arabia, in your application. See multiple-entry visas.

Timing: prior consultation

Saudi Arabia is on the European Commission's prior-consultation list: at least one Schengen state requires other states' central authorities to consult it before a visa is issued to a Saudi national, and the Visa Code gives the consulted authorities seven calendar days to reply. The standard 15 calendar days from the appointment can therefore stretch, and the Visa Code allows up to 45. Lodge up to six months before travel, and at least four weeks ahead. France's three UK centres allocate appointments from a queue (London and Manchester since 1 August 2026, Edinburgh since 11 September 2026), and Germany runs a waiting list since 1 June 2026; see appointments.

Documents and the EU's travel document table

The standard Schengen document set applies: passport issued within 10 years and valid 3 months beyond the trip with two blank pages, UK status proof, statements, sponsor or employer letter, bookings, insurance with at least €30,000 of cover and a cover letter. The EU's table of recognised travel documents lists the ordinary Saudi passport as recognised by every Schengen state; it also records that some consulates ask a Saudi applicant for a validated translation of the national ID card showing place of birth, so bring your ID card and a certified English translation.

Fees from the UK for a Saudi passport

The consulate fee is set EU-wide: €90 for an adult (about £81 at the consulate's own rate), €45 for a child aged 6 to 11, free under 6. Poland's embassy charges £79 and £40 in pounds with no centre fee. The centre adds its own fee, from £15 for Spain to about £45 for France, and insurance costs from about £12. Applying yourself costs about £91 to £138 per adult, paid at the centre on the day; a refusal generally does not refund the consulate fee.

If we prepare and book it, our service fee is £99 for the first applicant and £69 for each extra person on the same trip, up to five per order. Official fees are paid per person at the centre and never through us.

Refusal rates at the UK consulates

The Commission's figures are by consulate, not by nationality. For files lodged in the UK in 2025: France refused 8.5% of 129,940, Spain 6.1% of 138,195, Italy 6.0% of 18,956, Germany 3.2% of 32,725, Switzerland 10.6% of 16,123, the Netherlands 1.0% of 25,711 and Greece 24.6% of 36,089; see the UK refusal rates page. The leading refusal reason from the UK is inconsistent ties and funds evidence; see why Schengen visas are refused.

Want it prepared and booked for you?

Our Schengen visa service for the UK completes the forms, builds the document pack to the operator's checklist and books the appointment in your own name on the official system, for a £99 service fee, £69 for each extra traveller. Two written promises: prepared within 24 hours of your complete documents and details, or your service fee back; and your appointment booked within 3 working days of your complete file, subject to availability, or your service fee back. We do not promise a visa, we do not sell slots, and the €90 fee and the centre fee are paid by you at the centre. findmyvisa.co.uk is run by WayaNerd Ltd, company number 16269713, and a person answers on WhatsApp.

Country service pages: France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Portugal.

Doing it yourself? Use the checklist generator, then the bundler and compressor, and start from the Schengen visa from the UK hub.