How to extend family visit visa in Saudi Arabia? 2023

In this article, we have explained the procedure to extend family visit visas in Saudi Arabia;

• Single Entry Visa through Absher.
• Multiple Entry Visa through Tawasul.
• Both through Istiqdam.

Family visit visa extension rules

• Valid Until: You cannot enter KSA after this date. However, you can still extend your visa after this day as per the below rules.
• A single-entry family visit visa is issued initially for 30 days duration of stay which can be extended 8 more times up to 270 days through Absher.
• A multiple-entry family visit visa is issued initially for 90 days duration of stay which can be extended 1 more time for 15 days through Tawasul request.
• You can apply for the visit visa extension 7 days before and 3 days after the visa expiry.
• You can apply even if your Iqama has expired.
• What to do if a family visit visa expires?

Step 1: Get the Insurance

First of all, you need to get medical insurance covering the whole period after the extension of the family visit visa. 

• Error Message: Sorry, the medical insurance period does not cover the period after visa extension. 
• Check the validity of visit visa insurance.

Step 2: Pay the Visit Visa extension fee

• The next step is to pay SR 100 fee for the extension of the family visit visa.
• In case you are applying for the extension within 3 days of the visit visa expiry, you need to pay an additional SR 500 fee as a fine.

If you do not pay the fee, the system will show the following error message.

Error Message: Sorry, Due to insufficient funds, the visit visa (VV) cannot be extended. Please deposit sufficient funds to proceed with the VV extension.

Step 3: Extend Single Entry Family Visit Visa

After arranging the above requirements, you will start the process to extend a single entry family visit visa through Absher. 

• Log in to https://www.absher.sa/ 
• Click on the “Services” tab under Family Members Services.
• Select the “Extend Visit Visa” option.
• Click on the “proceed” button.

Now you can see all the family visit visa holders under your sponsorship;

• Click on the “Extend Visa” button.

Verify the details, accept the terms and conditions, and

• Click on the “Extend Visit Visa” button.

Congratulations, you have successfully extended a single entry visit visa for your family member in Saudi Arabia for 30 days.

Step 4: Extend Multiple Family Visit Visa

In order to extend a multiple family visit visa or if you receive the following message on Absher, you need to make a Tawasul request.

• Sorry!! Multiple Visit Visa cannot be extended.
• Sorry!! the visit visa (VV) cannot be extended, for further information, please contact the passport department.

Requirements

Make one PDF file for each family member with all the below-mentioned documents to upload to Absher. The size of the PDF file should not exceed 1MB.

1. Error Message Screenshot.
2. Passport of the visa holder.
3. Visa detail from Absher.
4. Insurance details.

Family Visit Visa Extension

Now Log in to your Absher account https://www.absher.sa/.

• Click on the “Services” tab under “My Services“.
• Select “Passports“.
• Click on the “Tawasul” service.

A new page will open where you need to click on the “New Request” button.

Now change the language to Arabic and select the following settings to extend the family visit visa after 180 days.

• Sector: تأشيرة زيارة
• Service: تمديد تأشيرة الزيارة العائلية
• Request Description: Mention your border number, visa number, and Passport number. 
• Attachment: Attach the PDF file you have created before.
• Your family visit visa will be extended within one day.

Special characters not allowed: Remove all the (. ! ?, ‘ “ etc) special characters and you should be good to go.

Step 5: Check the Status of Extension Request

In order to check the status of the family visit visa extension request through Absher;

• Log in to your Absher account https://www.absher.sa/.
• Click on the “General Services“.
• Select “Passports“.
• Click on the “Tawasul” service.
• Select “Inquire for Requests“.
• Check the validity of the family visit visa.

If the request is rejected, you can create another request addressing the reason for rejection.

Extend family visit visa through Istiqdam

If the expiry date of the family visit visa is approaching and Jawazat does not extend it online, you should visit the Istiqdam.

Requirements

1. Book an Istiqdam Appointment.
2. Original Passport of the visa holder + Copy.
3. Original Iqama of the sponsor + copy.
4. A duly filled form to extend a family visit visa.
5. Passport size photograph with white background.
6. Payment of visa extension fee.
7. Valid Medical Insurance for the visa holder.
8. A letter from a doctor in case of a medical emergency.

Visit Jawazat

Once you have all the required documents, you can visit the Jawazat office for the extension of the family visit visa. The officer will check your documents and extend the visa.

In case of a medical emergency, make sure to visit Istiqdam along with the above-mentioned documents within the validity of the visa and the officer will extend it for 15 days beyond the maximum period of time.

Extension through Bahrain/Jordan

• The single-entry family visit visa can be used to enter Saudi Arabia only once. 
• The multiple-entry family visit visa can be used to enter Saudi Arabia multiple times as long as the visa is valid. Valid Until represents the validity of the visa.
• People with multiple entry visas can leave Saudi Arabia through Bahrain or Jordan borders and enter again to extend their stay for another 90 days.

Example: The below visa holder can enter Saudi Arabia by the 6th of March and stay in Saudi Arabia for another 90 days i.e. 6th of June.