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Back to B1 Visa Countries
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B1 Visa Approvals in Saudi Arabia

How many B1 visa applications U.S. Embassies and Consulates in Saudi Arabia approved, by fiscal year and by post. Every visa issued is an approved application.

The State Department publishes issuance counts for this visa class but not refusals, so there is no approval rate to report and none is shown. Figures run from March 2017 to September 2025.

Saudi Arabia’s published approval rate

Visitor visas are the one class where the State Department publishes a rate for each nationality, so this is the only genuine, country -specific approval rate on this site. Everything else here is a count of visas issued. Covers FY2017 to FY2025.

94.02%

Approved in FY2025

5.98%

Refused in FY2025

How Saudi Arabia compares

Against the 160 countries with enough visitor-visa volume to rank.

#152

Highest refusal rate

67.95%

World median approval

+26.1

Points vs median

0% approvedmedian100% approved
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Applications, approvals and refusals: Saudi Arabia

Approvals are the visas actually issued. Refusals are what the published refusal rate implies for that year, net of overcomes.

38K
62K
63K
25K
9K
44K
62K
59K
51K
’17
’18
’19
’20
’21
’22
’23
’24
’25
ApprovedRefused (net of overcomes)

Approval and refusal rate by year

The published split for Saudi Arabia. Both series on a fixed 0–100% axis, so years and countries stay comparable.

Approval rateRefusal rate
0%25%50%75%100%Rate (%)Fiscal yearFY2017: 5.26% refusedFY2017: 94.74% approvedFY17FY2018: 7.47% refusedFY2018: 92.53% approvedFY18FY2019: 6.82% refusedFY2019: 93.18% approvedFY19FY2020: 10.01% refusedFY2020: 89.99% approvedFY20FY2021: 13.43% refusedFY2021: 86.57% approvedFY21FY2022: 14.29% refusedFY2022: 85.71% approvedFY22FY2023: 5.01% refusedFY2023: 94.99% approvedFY23FY2024: 7.89% refusedFY2024: 92.11% approvedFY24FY2025: 5.98% refusedFY2025: 94.02% approvedFY25

5.98%

Refused FY2025

14.29%

Highest (FY2022)

-1.9

Points vs FY2024

Every published year for Saudi Arabia

Fiscal yearApprovedRefusedAdjudicatedApproval rateRefusal rate
FY202548,3073,07251,37994.02%5.98%
FY202454,4294,66259,09192.11%7.89%
FY202359,1173,11862,23594.99%5.01%
FY202237,5306,25743,78785.71%14.29%
FY20217,4011,1488,54986.57%13.43%
FY202022,3352,48424,81989.99%10.01%
FY201958,5364,28462,82093.18%6.82%
FY201857,4014,63462,03592.53%7.47%
FY201735,6841,98137,66594.74%5.26%

Where these numbers come from. Approved is the count of B-1/B-2 visitor visas actually issued to Saudi Arabia, and both rates are published by the State Department for Saudi Arabia specifically. Adjudicated and Refused follow from those two: the adjusted refusal rate is defined as refusals minus overcomes over issuances plus refusals minus overcomes, so approvals divided by the approval rate gives the adjudications, and the difference is the refusals. An “overcome” is a refusal later resolved in the applicant’s favour the same year, so the refusal column is net of those.

Source: Adjusted Refusal Rate — B-Visas Only, by Nationality (U.S. Department of State).

Everything else published about Saudi Arabia

Interview wait times, approvals across every visa type, and interview preparation, on one page.

US visas for Saudi Arabia →

Visas approved per year: Saudi Arabia

Totals by U.S. fiscal year, which runs October to September, so FY2025 covers October 2024 to September 2025. Refusals are not published for this visa class, so an approval rate cannot be shown.

0231462692923Visas approvedFiscal yearFY2017: 401 approved401FY17FY2018: 568 approved568FY18FY2019: 880 approved880FY19FY2020: 359 approved359FY20FY2021: 153 approved153FY21FY2022: 509 approved509FY22FY2023: 923 approved923FY23FY2024: 910 approved910FY24FY2025: 736 approved736FY25

736

FY2025

923

Peak (FY2023)

-19.1%

vs FY2024

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How Saudi Arabia compares for B1 visas

Against every country that received a B1 visa in FY2025.

#70

of 178 countries

34

Approved in FY2025

0.1%

Of the world total

29,532

Issued worldwide

Fewest (178th)Most (1st)
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Which consulate in Saudi Arabia approves the most

B1 visas issued at each post in FY2025, as a share of the 736 issued across Saudi Arabia.

  • Riyadh44760.7%
  • Jeddah17824.2%
  • Dhahran11115.1%

How each Saudi Arabia consulate has changed

B1 visas approved per fiscal year, by post. The share chart shows who is largest today; this shows who is rising.

RiyadhJeddahDhahran
0157313470626Visas approvedFiscal yearRiyadh, FY2017: 295 approvedRiyadh, FY2018: 390 approvedRiyadh, FY2019: 626 approvedRiyadh, FY2020: 259 approvedRiyadh, FY2021: 96 approvedRiyadh, FY2022: 327 approvedRiyadh, FY2023: 604 approvedRiyadh, FY2024: 544 approvedRiyadh, FY2025: 447 approvedJeddah, FY2017: 57 approvedJeddah, FY2018: 82 approvedJeddah, FY2019: 161 approvedJeddah, FY2020: 81 approvedJeddah, FY2021: 50 approvedJeddah, FY2022: 154 approvedJeddah, FY2023: 218 approvedJeddah, FY2024: 234 approvedJeddah, FY2025: 178 approvedDhahran, FY2017: 49 approvedDhahran, FY2018: 96 approvedDhahran, FY2019: 93 approvedDhahran, FY2020: 19 approvedDhahran, FY2021: 7 approvedDhahran, FY2022: 28 approvedDhahran, FY2023: 101 approvedDhahran, FY2024: 132 approvedDhahran, FY2025: 111 approvedFY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25
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When B1 visas are approved in Saudi Arabia

Average approvals per calendar month across 2 complete years. Busiest month is May, quietest is Aug.

7
5
11
8
23
10
5
2
13
19
2
7
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Calendar months, not fiscal. A busy month means more applications competing for the same interview slots, not a better chance of approval.

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Monthly Visa Issuance Data

Month201720182019202020212022202320242025
Jan--124--2-4
Feb--55-1411
Mar11127111058
Apr5-8-1174-
May42140--75114
Jun6311-14882
Jul145-114-1
Aug473--5113
Sep1146--42021
Oct-336--314-
Nov562-1411-
Dec2810--345-

Fiscal Year Visa Issuance

Fiscal YearVisas ApprovedChange on YearRelative to peak
FY2025736▼19.1%
FY2024910▼1.4%
FY2023923▲81.3%
FY2022509▲232.7%
FY2021153▼57.4%
FY2020359▼59.2%
FY2019880▲54.9%
FY2018568▲41.6%
FY2017401—

Consulate-Specific Data

Dhahran
View detailed approval data →
Jeddah
View detailed approval data →
Riyadh
View detailed approval data →

B1 interview prep

The numbers are history. Your interview is not.

Nothing on this page changes your odds. What happens in the two minutes at the window does. Face a live AI visa officer for the B1 as applicants in Saudi Arabia face it, answer out loud under follow-up pressure, and get a readiness score with feedback on every answer.

Practise your B1 interviewFirst session free. No card required.

How do your own odds compare?

The figures above count everyone who was approved for a B1 in Saudi Arabia. They say nothing about your case. Answer a few questions and get an assessment of your own profile, the areas most likely to cost you the interview, and what to do about each one.

US Visa Approval Calculator

Answer the questions below to get a read on your profile, grouped into short steps.

Your result opens after a free Google sign-in at the end. We ask so your evaluation is saved and you can compare it after you have made changes.

Evaluating for B1 - Business Visa in Saudi Arabia.

Step 1 of 5

Questions 1–5 of 16

Do you have a business partner or company you are visiting in the US?

Prefer to practise instead of measure? Face a live AI visa officer. The first interview is free.

View B1 Visa Issuance Trends for Other Countries

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the approval rate for B1 visas in Saudi Arabia?
There is no published approval rate for B1 visas. The State Department reports how many visas it issued but not how many it refused, and a rate needs both. This page shows the issuance counts that genuinely exist for Saudi Arabia. Visitor visas are the one exception: a genuine refusal rate for Saudi Arabia is published, and you can see it on our refusal-rate page.
How many B1 visas does Saudi Arabia get?
The tables and charts above show issuances by U.S. fiscal year, which runs October to September, and where the data allows, by individual consulate. These counts come directly from the State Department's monthly issuance tables.
What factors affect B1 visa approval in Saudi Arabia?
Factors include the completeness and accuracy of your application, supporting documents, interview performance, and the specific consulate's workload and policies. Common reasons for refusal include missing documents, insufficient ties to home country, or unclear travel purpose.
How can I improve my chances of getting a B1 visa in Saudi Arabia?
Prepare thoroughly for your interview, provide honest and complete information, and ensure all documents are in order. Review common mistakes and tips provided above, and consider seeking professional guidance if you have a complex case.
Where does this visa data come from?
All figures are sourced from published U.S. Department of State statistics. We update them as new monthly and annual tables are released.

Related Services

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  • Visa Approval Calculator – Estimate your approval chances with our AI-powered tool.
  • Visa Interview Wait Times – Check current wait times for US consulates worldwide.
  • Visa Interview Tips & Guides – Read expert advice and articles.
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Data Source & Transparency

Data Source: All visa approval statistics are compiled from the official U.S. Department of State’s annual visa statistics reports. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, visit the U.S. Department of State Visa Statistics.

Methodology: These are counts of visas issued, taken from the State Department’s monthly issuance tables. No approval rate is shown because refusals are not published per country or per post, and a rate cannot be calculated without them. Figures exclude cases under administrative processing and are subject to reporting delays.

Disclaimer: This website is not affiliated with the U.S. government. All data is provided for informational purposes only. For official guidance, always refer to the U.S. Department of State or your local U.S. embassy/consulate.

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