Saudi Sponsors Face SAR 50,000 Fine for Visit Visa Overstays

Saudi authorities have warned sponsors that failing to report a visitor who overstays a visit visa can lead to heavy fines, imprisonment, and — for non-Saudi sponsors — deportation. The rules apply to anyone, Saudi or expatriate, who issued the visit visa.

the sponsor penalty rises with each violation: SAR 15,000 for a first offence; SAR 25,000 plus three months in jail for a second; and SAR 50,000 plus six months in jail for a third. The maximum sponsor penalty reaches SAR 50,000 with up to six months' imprisonment, and expat sponsors risk deportation.

The visitor who overstays faces a parallel set of penalties: SAR 100 for each day of overstay, plus statutory fines of SAR 15,000, SAR 25,000, or SAR 50,000 depending on the number of offences, alongside possible jail time, deportation, and multi-year entry bans.

What sponsors should do

Sponsors are expected to track their visitors' visit-visa expiry dates. If a visitor does not leave or regularize their status, the sponsor should promptly notify the authorities to avoid fines. Overstays can be reported by calling 911 in Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province, or 999 in all other regions of the Kingdom.

On the visitor side, expired visit-visa holders can use the أبشر platform to pay fines via SADAD and submit exit requests through Tawasul. Since late June 2025, they may also request a 30-day exit permit through أبشر/Tawasul instead of immediate fines, as long as they leave within the permit window. Further queries can be handled through Jawazat online services at gdp.gov.sa or by calling 992.

The measures underline the importance for residents and expats of monitoring visit-visa timelines closely and acting early, whether they are hosting family or business visitors.

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