Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior has launched “Absher Travel for Visitors,” a service in the Absher app that lets Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nationals and other visitors complete entry procedures before they arrive at any of the Kingdom’s land border crossings. The service will become mandatory for visitors six months after its October 26 launch.
Travelers use the service to register traveler and vehicle information and obtain vehicle insurance before reaching the border. A visitor opens the “Absher Travel for Visitors” section of the app, selects a nationality, enters a mobile phone number and travel document type, and specifies the border crossing and expected travel date, then completes the traveler, vehicle and insurance details.
The ministry developed the service with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Tourism, the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA), the Communications, Space and Technology Commission, the Insurance Authority, the General Directorate of Passports and Public Security. It said the service automates entry procedures for travelers and vehicles so that requirements can be met digitally rather than at the crossing.
Absher is the Interior Ministry’s e-services platform, launched in 2015, which offers government services inside the Kingdom and abroad and lets residents book appointments and renew IDs, passports, driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations. The platform has added digital identity services for expatriates, including the ability to show digital identification details to authorities.
The ministry also issues a Visitor ID that can be verified through Absher and Nafath, the national single sign-on service. The Saudi Central Bank approved the Visitor ID for opening bank accounts in September 2025, allowing banks to authenticate visitors who do not hold a residency permit.
Citizens and residents already have a similar option at two crossings. In July, the General Directorate of Passports said its “Absher Safar” service lets them create an electronic travel request in the Absher app and complete procedures themselves at the King Fahd Causeway, which links Saudi Arabia with Bahrain, and the Salwa crossing with Qatar. On arrival at the border, those travelers enable Bluetooth, open the Nafath app and select location verification to complete the procedures electronically.
Sources: Saudi Press Agency, Arab News, Gulf News, Ajel
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
