Area: 2,149,690 km²
Residents: 33,938,709 (2017 estimate)
Population density: 16 E / km²
Form of Government: Monarchy
System of Government: Absolute monarchy
Neighboring countries: Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen
Capital: Riyadh National
language: Arabic.
Religions:
73% Salafi Islam,
12% Sunnis,
11% Shiites,
4% Christian beliefs.
However, the public practice of non-Islamic religions is prohibited!
Currency: Saudi Riyal (SAR)
1 SAR = 100 Halala
Exchange rates:
1 USD = 3.751 SAR (fixed)
1 EUR = 4.47 SAR
1 SAR = 0.22 EUR
1 CHF = 4.03 SAR
1 SAR = 0.25 CHF
(rate from March 6, 2021)
Telephone area code: +966
Time zone: UTC + 3
In 2020, 130 Germans officially emigrated to Saudi Arabia and 200 returned to their homeland. Within the 10 years from 2010 to 2019, 2,830 Germans officially emigrated to Saudi Arabia and 2,734 moved back to Germany.
The country occupies a special position in the Islamic world, as the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina are located on the national territory. Culture and social life follow precisely defined rules: those of the Salafi denomination of the Islamic religion.
According to allcitycodes, there is compulsory schooling for both sexes for nine years. The state pays the training costs from elementary school to university degree. The language of instruction at the country’s universities is usually English. The most widely studied languages are English, German, French and Japanese.
The road network is 152,000 km long, 45,000 km of which are paved. Saudi Arabia is the largest economy in the Arab world and is considered the most oil-rich country on earth. After mineral resources (oil, natural gas, gold, limestone, gypsum, marble, clay, salt, iron ore and phosphorus), the service sector is an important source of income.
Travel, Visa and Immigration
Changed travel regulations during and after the corona pandemic
Entry to Saudi Arabia from Germany is basically possible again.
All travelers aged eight and over who are not Saudi Arabian nationals must present a negative PCR test upon arrival, which is not older than 72 hours at the time of departure. Travelers must enter a seven-day institutional quarantine when entering Saudi Arabia (exemption from this for fully vaccinated persons see below). On the first as well as on the seventh day after entry, they must undergo further PCR tests. If both results are negative, the institutional quarantine ends on the eighth day.
Children under eight years of age are exempt from the obligation to test. The institutional quarantine takes place in the city of arrival. Airlines that offer flights to Saudi Arabia must ensure that their passengers are quarantined in one of the institutional quarantine facilities; the costs are borne by the travelers themselves.
The following groups of people are exempt from institutional quarantine:
- Saudi Arabian citizens, their spouses, children as well as staff accompanying them and Iqama owners, provided they have been vaccinated at least once, 14 days have passed since their first vaccination or they have recovered from COVID illness within the last six months and according to Tawakkalna status are immune.
- Travelers who are fully vaccinated and received the final dose more than 14 days ago. The vaccines from BioNTech / Pfizer (2 doses), AstraZeneca (2 doses), Moderna (2 doses) and Johnsson & Johnsson (1 dose) are recognized. The relevant vaccination certificates must be registered on the website of the Saudi Arabian government within 72 hours prior to entry. Entrants’ vaccination certificates must be recognized by the official health authorities of the country that carried out the vaccination and must be in English or Arabic. Travelers must carry their original vaccination certificate with them for the entire duration of their stay.
- The Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provides further information on the recognition of vaccination certificates.
- Flight attendants, health workers, official delegations, travelers with diplomatic visas, as well as accredited diplomats and family members in their household.
A residence permit with a corresponding re-entry visa or a valid business or visitor visa is required to enter Saudi Arabia. Tourist e-visas are currently not issued.
In addition, travelers must have (travel) health insurance that also covers a COVID-19 infection. This excludes Saudi Arabian nationals, residents of Saudi Arabia and citizens of the GCC countries. Health insurance should cover outpatient treatment, hospital stays, emergencies and institutional quarantine for up to 14 days.
Entry into Saudi Arabia from Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Brazil and South Africa is still not permitted, not even after a mere transit stay in one of the countries.
Source: Federal Foreign Office on July 27, 2021
