Saudi Arabia

Destinations

Visa & entry

eu passport	Tourist e-visa available online or on arrival, valid 365 days from issue, multiple entries, max 90 days total stay per year; e-visa fee bundles mandatory travel health insurance up to SAR 100,000 [gov.uk-sourced UK figures used as proxy — EU-specific terms not separately confirmed, but the Saudi e-visa program is nationality-broad and generally offers the same terms to most Schengen/EU passport holders].
us passport	Same e-visa program available to US citizens on the same general terms as described for UK nationals (not separately confirmed via a US-specific primary source this session).
uk passport	Tourist e-visa: valid 365 days from issue, multiple entries, max 90 days total stay within that year; includes mandatory travel health insurance up to SAR 100,000; passport must be valid 6+ months beyond arrival [gov.uk, checked 2026].
entry or eco taxes	No separate entry/exit tax found; the e-visa fee itself bundles compulsory health insurance [gov.uk].
notes	Entry may be denied based on passport evidence of prior travel to, or birth in, Israel [gov.uk, checked 2026]. No dedicated 'digital nomad visa' was identified this session (unlike UAE); Saudi Arabia does not levy personal income tax on wages, which is commonly cited but not independently confirmed this session — treat tax_residency_days as unverified.

Money

currency	Saudi Riyal (SAR), pegged to USD at 3.75
local instant payment	mada (national debit card/payment network) and STC Pay mobile wallet are widely used domestically; STC Pay account opening commonly requires local ID/Iqama, so tourist usability is uncertain — not verified this session.

SIM & internet

id required for sim	Passport-based registration with biometric (fingerprint) capture is commonly required for prepaid SIMs in Saudi Arabia per the telecom regulator's rules — not independently re-verified this session; treat as high-confidence but unconfirmed-this-session.
notes	STC, Mobily, and Zain are the three national operators; relative coverage ranking specifically for the NEOM/Red Sea coast was not verified this session. STC has been publicly linked to NEOM digital infrastructure builds, which may indicate stronger coverage there, but this is unconfirmed.

Insurance

kite excluded by standard policies	Yes — kitesurfing is excluded or requires an add-on under most standard travel/medical policies (general industry pattern, not Saudi-specific). Note the e-visa's bundled insurance (up to SAR 100,000) is a basic medical policy and is very unlikely to cover kitesurfing injuries or gear.
recommended	A specialist watersports/adventure-sports policy that explicitly lists kitesurfing, in addition to (not instead of) the mandatory e-visa insurance.
evacuation note	gov.uk notes healthcare in major cities is high standard but serious cases in smaller towns may require transfer to larger urban facilities over significant distances — relevant for the remote NEOM/Red Sea coast [gov.uk, checked 2026].

Health

vaccines	Yellow fever certificate required only if arriving from a risk country/transiting an at-risk airport; general recommendation to check TravelHealthPro 8+ weeks before travel [gov.uk]. Meningitis vaccination is commonly required specifically for Hajj/Umrah pilgrims — not confirmed as applicable to general tourists this session.
emergency numbers	911 (general); Police 999; Ambulance 997; Fire 998 [per emergency numbers reference, checked 2026].
hospital standard	'Healthcare facilities in major Saudi cities are of a high standard. Most towns have a health centre or basic hospital' [gov.uk, checked 2026].

Driving

idp needed	UK photocard licence usable for first 3 months; after that a local licence is required. Rental companies typically require an International Driving Permit beyond the initial period [gov.uk, checked 2026].
road safety	gov.uk describes notably high rates of serious road accidents; recommends seatbelts, sticking to major roads, and traveling in groups/daylight through desert areas [gov.uk, checked 2026].
4x4 contexts	Desert-area travel is flagged by gov.uk as higher risk, implying 4x4/off-road caution for any inland or desert routes around NEOM.
police stops	Automated traffic cameras issue fines via text, tied to the Absher system linked to passport/ID; outstanding fines must be settled before departure (payable at the airport during business hours) [gov.uk, checked 2026].

Regulation

drone rules	Widely reported that recreational drone use by tourists requires prior permit from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and is otherwise restricted/confiscated at customs; this was NOT independently confirmed via a primary source this session (GACA's own site was unreachable) — verify directly with GACA before traveling with a drone.
other	Alcohol is illegal nationwide (well-established, stable rule). Modest dress is expected though the abaya is no longer legally mandatory for women following 2019+ reforms — neither point was re-verified via a primary source this session.

Calendar & costs

currency	SAR

Open questions

NEOM/Red Sea-specific entry, insurance, or watersports permitting rules (as a Special Economic Zone) were not found this session.
Whether a dedicated digital nomad/remote-work visa exists (none identified this session).
Drone permit process (GACA) — official page was unreachable this session (DNS failure).
SIM/eSIM operator ranking specifically for NEOM Bay / Red Sea coast coverage.
Numbeo cost-of-living data could not be retrieved this session (HTTP 429 rate-limited) — cost_index unverified.
Ramadan-driven business-hours and pricing shifts (widely known to matter in Saudi Arabia generally) were not verified with current-year dates this session.