Captagon

The Department of State advises that American business persons and workers who plan to visit or reside in Saudi Arabia should be aware of the basic provisions of Saudi commercial and labor law, as well as Saudi regulations concerning entry and exit of foreigners. The following summarizes some of these regulations for prospective travelers. Full details and the latest Saudi regulations should be obtained from a Saudi consular office.

The Saudi government does not issue tourist visas, but Americans traveling to Saudi Arabia may fall into two other possible categories: one for temporary business visits or visits of relatives, the other for individuals and their dependents entering Saudi Arabia on an employment contract.

Temporary visits: All applicants for temporary visit visas for the purpose of business consultations must have a Saudi company or individual sponsor their application. The Saudi sponsor will notify the Saudi Foreign Ministry, which will forward the visa authorization to the appropriate Saudi embassy or consulate. Applicants who wish to visit relatives must have their relatives' Saudi sponsor request authorization of the application in the manner described above.

If an individual is present in the Kingdom on a temporary visit visa and has obtained Saudi sponsorship for employment, he/she must exit Saudi Arabia to obtain an entry visa for employment. This visa need not be issued in the individual's country of origin, but the applicant must be physically present to apply for the visa.

Employment/Residence: Visas for this category are obtained in a manner similar to the above procedures. Additional documentation, such as a letter from the sponsoring company, a copy of the signed contract, and a copy of the applicant's university degree may be required. The employee's dependents (spouse and children under the age of 18) may be brought into Saudi Arabia only with the concurrence of the Saudi sponsor and authorization of the Foreign Ministry. Ordinarily, only managers and professionals (holders of college degrees) may bring their families. Children over age 18 are likely to be refused residence. Persons entering Saudi Arabia for the purpose of employment are issued residence permits soon after initial entry. These permits are evidence of legal residence in Saudi Arabia and must be retained at all times. Persons resident in Saudi Arabia may not depart the country under any circumstances, however exigent, without obtaining an exit visa. Exit visas are issued only upon request of the Saudi sponsor. The American Embassy is not able to "sponsor" exit visas for Americans resident in Saudi Arabia under any circumstances. In a genuine emergency, however, the embassy will use its good offices in an attempt to facilitate the Saudi sponsor's request for an exit visa.

Retention of U.S. passports by sponsor: Persons present in Saudi Arabia on temporary visit visas should not surrender their passport to the Saudi sponsor, except for the most valid reasons. The passport and visa are the only evidence of the bearer's legal right to be present in the country. Persons resident in Saudi Arabia are almost always required to surrender their passports, and those of their dependents, to the Saudi sponsor. This practice is specifically authorized in the Saudi Employment Law, but upon request the embassy will issue a replacement passport to provide documentation of U.S. citizenship. Such passports cannot be used to depart Saudi Arabia, however, since they do not contain a Saudi residence permit or exit visa.

Commercial/business disputes: Disputes between parties who do not have a signed formal contract must be settled through mutual agreement or through an appeal to the local governor (Amir) for judgment. Such disputes usually involve business representatives present on temporary visit visas. Some sponsoring Saudi business persons have attempted to gain possession of their visitors' passports as a "bargaining chip" in disputes, but such actions are not authorized under Saudi law.

Commercial disputes between parties who have a formal contract can be brought to the Commercial Arbitration Board of the Saudi Chamber of Commerce or to the Committee for the Settlement of Commercial Disputes of the Ministry of Commerce. Disputes involving a government agency can be brought before the Grievance Board, an autonomous court body under the Office of the King. Employer-employee disputes can be brought before the Committee for the Settlement of Labor Disputes of the Ministry of Labor. An amicable out-of-court settlement is always the best and least expensive way to resolve a dispute, since referring matters to commercial or labor tribunals can be costly and time-consuming.

The embassy will offer its good offices to assist in settling disputes, but ultimate responsibility for obtaining private legal counsel and resolving a dispute through the Saudi legal system lies with the parties involved. Lists of local attorneys are available at all posts.

Customs Clearance: Customs clearance procedures in Saudi Arabia are formal, thorough, lengthy, and frequently involve a full search of every piece of luggage. Transit passengers who wish to leave the transit area of the airport are subject to the same strict searches as arriving passengers.

Food items: Travelers may not import any food items. Customs officials at airports enforce a restriction against the importation of food items.

Alcohol: Travelers must keep in mind the strict prohibition against the possession, consumption, sale, manufacture, or importation of alcoholic beverages or any items with alcoholic content. Saudi officials make no exceptions. Travelers should also exercise extreme care and discretion when consuming alcohol on flights landing in the Kingdom. Persons obviously inebriated are subject to arrest or deportation.

Other items: (A) Items considered pornographic by Saudi standards, including magazines and video cassettes, are forbidden. (B) Firearms of any type, ammunition, and related items (such as gunsights) are forbidden. (C) Personal religious items, such as a bible, rosary, etc. are usually permitted, but travelers should be aware that such items have, on occasion, been seized at entry. (D) Items on the Arab Boycott List, banned books, or printed matter such as gun magazines, are likely to create suspicion.

Drugs: Many drugs sold with or without a prescription in other countries may be illegal in Saudi Arabia. For instance, Captagon (fenetylline hydrocloride), a name-brand diet pill available without a prescription in the Near East and Far East, is considered an illegal substance in Saudi Arabia.

The attempted importation of drugs or controlled substances, even in very small amounts, is a very serious offense under Saudi law. The traveler will be arrested and tried for carrying drugs into the country. The considerable number of Americans currently in Saudi prisons serving sentences averaging two years for drug possession or use, and more severe sentences for smuggling, underscores the gravity with which authorities treat drug offenses in the kingdom. The customs authorities are now using dogs to detect drugs at Saudi airports.

Prescription drugs in small quantities, clearly labeled with traveler's name, doctor's name, pharmacy, and contents of the container, should cause no problem. Difficulties are likely to arise, however, if: (A) There are large amounts of drugs; (B) Drugs are unlabeled and loose; (C) No "documentation" accompanies the drugs; or (D) The drugs are illicit to begin with.

Even doctors have been challenged going through customs in Saudi Arabia. The importation of drugs in large amounts can be done legally only through the Ministry of Health. A traveler carrying drugs in large amounts without documents from the Ministry of Health will be in trouble at customs. Under the Islamic law of Saudi Arabia, drug offenses are considered major and leniency in drug cases is highly unlikely.

Pets: Most pets, except dogs, may be brought into the country, provided they are accompanied by a health certificate authenticated by the Saudi consulate in the country of origin. Dogs are banned, with the exception of guard dogs, hunting dogs, and seeing-eye dogs. Dogs in these excepted categories must be accompanied not only by a health certificate but also by a certificate authenticated by the Saudi consulate in the country of origin attesting to the fact that the dog fits into one of the excepted categories.

COPYRIGHT 1984 U.S. Government Printing Office
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group