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SAUDI ARABIA TRAVEL TIPS : travelling to Saudi-Arabia essentials

Customs & Duties

Bringing in any item into Saudi Arabia containing alcohol or pork is strictly forbidden. Customs officers also pay especial attention to any books, magazines or photographs that you are carrying. Videotapes are especially targeted and are screened by censors. Anything p*rn, which could include holiday photographs of your family at the beach (!!!), or politically sensitive, can be confiscated.

Electricity

Both 110 and 220 V AC, 60 cycles AC are available and 380 volts is used for industrial purposes.

Post & Communications

The queues at the Saudi post offices are very long, especially at the end of the month when foreign workers send their salaries home to their families. There are no post restante facilities.

Saudi Arabia has an excellent telecommunication system. Almost every town has a telephone center through which international calls can be made. Card phones are a common sight, though the cards are not easily available. The country code for calls to Saudi Arabia is 966, plus the area code for the individual city. Fax, telex and telegraph can be sent from the business centers of most large hotels and from some of the large copy shops.

Weights and measures

The metric system is followed in Saudi Arabia.

Tipping

Tips are not the custom in Saudi Arabian restaurants but it would be a good gesture of your appreciation if you do, because whatever service charge is added to your bill goes to the management and not the waiters. As the latter are paid very poorly you should tip them if you are satisfied.

Regarding bargaining, you can up to a point. In the Bedouin markets you can bargain, but elsewhere it means asking for a discount, which you may get depending on the season.

English Language Media

The Arab News, Saudi Gazette and Riyadh Daily are the country’s English language newspapers. Major foreign newspapers and magazines are widely available in the main cities of Saudi Arabia. Periodicals arrive after two or three days after the censors have had a good and searching look at them. The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Information supervises radio and television services and broadcasts. In addition to the main Arabic transmissions, there are radio broadcasts in many different languages.

Saudi Arabian Television has two channels: one solely in Arabic and the other in English with a news bulletin in French. Television transmissions reach every corner of the Kingdom and are often received in neighbouring countries as well.

The channel 2 of the Saudi Arabian TV broadcasts exclusively in English, except for a broadcast in French at 8 pm. The English news is broadcast at 9 pm every night. The programmes are a mixture of old and heavily edited (censored) US shows, and locally made documentaries and talk shows. In the Eastern Province in the Channel 3 or the Aramico station, the programmes are only two years old as compared to the programmes on Channel 2 that are ten years old!! In Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran you can get the USA’s Armed Forces radio and Television Service (AFRTS) broadcasts on FM.

International Travel:

Note
There is a continuing high threat of terrorism in Saudi Arabia. It is suspected that terrorists are planning further attacks, including against Westerners and places associated with Westerners in Saudi Arabia. All necessary steps to protect safety and to guarantee strict security arrangements should be undertaken. It should also be remembered that Islamic law is strictly enforced in Saudi Arabia.

Approximate flight times
From London to Jeddah is five hours 50 minutes, to Riyadh is six hours 25 minutes, and to Dhahran is six hours 45 minutes. From Los Angeles to Jeddah is 18 hours 45 minutes and to Riyadh is 21 hours 15 minutes. From New York to Jeddah is 13 hours and to Riyadh is 16 hours. From Singapore to Jeddah is eight hours 25 minutes.

International airports
Riyadh (RUH) (King Khaled International) airport, 35km (22 miles) north of the city.
Dhahran (DHA) (Al Khobar) airport, 13km (8 miles) southeast of Dhahran (travel time – 15 minutes).
Jeddah (JED) (King Abdul Aziz) airport, 18km (11 miles) north of the city (travel time – 30 minutes). Facilities at all the above airports include bus and taxi services, banks/bureaux de change, duty free shopping, car rental, restaurants and tourist information points. From Jeddah airport, bus and taxi services are available for Mecca, Medina and Taif.
Dammam (DMM) (King Fahd International) airport, 30km (19) miles northwest of Dammam (travel time – 45 minutes).

Departure tax
SR50. Children, Hajj and Ummra pilgrims and passengers accompanying human remains are exempt.

Sea
The main international passenger ports are Dammam (Gulf), and Jeddah and Yanbu (Red Sea).

Road
The principal international routes from Jordan are Amman to Dammam, Medina and Jeddah. There are also roads to Yemen (from Jeddah), Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. A causeway links Al Khobar with Bahrain. There are regular international buses between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.

The following items may be imported into Saudi Arabia without incurring customs duty:
600 cigarettes or 100 cigars or 500g of tobacco; a reasonable amount of perfume; a reasonable amount of cultured pearls for personal use.

Note
Duty is levied on cameras and typewriters, but if these articles are re-exported within 90 days, the customs charges may be refunded. It is advisable not to put film into cameras.

Saudi Arabia Money

Currency: Saudi Arabian Riyal (SR) = 100 halala; 5 halala = 20 qurush. Notes are in denominations of SR500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1. Coins are in denominations of 100, 50, 25, 10, and 5 halala, and 10, 5, 2 and 1 qurush.

Currency exchange: Most foreign currencies can be exchanged at commercial banks and money-changers, which stay open longer.

Credit & debit cards: American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are all widely accepted. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.

Travellers cheques: Widely accepted although they can be hard to change. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in Saudi Riyal, Euros, US Dollars or Pounds Sterling and to carry the purchase receipt.

Currency restrictions: Free import and export of both local and foreign currency. Import of Israeli currency is prohibited.

Exchange rate indicators: The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the Riyal against Sterling and the US Dollar:
Date May '04 Aug '04 Nov '04 Feb '05
£1.00= 6.69 6.90 7.10 7.08
$1.00= 3.75 3.75 3.75 3.75

Banking hours: Sat-Wed 0830-1200 and 1700-1900; Thurs 0830-1200. Money-changers stay open longer.

General Etiquette & Protocol Guidelines

Meeting Etiquette

• Men shake hands. Good friends may greet each other with a handshake and a kiss on each cheek.
• Women generally hug and kiss close friends.
• Men and women would not greet each other in public I from outside the family.
• When Saudis greet each other they take their time and converse about general things.

Gift Giving Etiquette

Gifts are not the norm as in many other countries.

• If you are invited to a Saudi's house bring something small as a thank you.
• Flowers do not make good gifts from a man, although a woman could give them to her hostess.
• Never give alcohol unless you are positive they partake.
• Gifts are not opened when received.

Dining Etiquette

• Saudis socialize primarily in restaurants and international hotels when entertaining expatriates whom they do not know well. After some time you will be invited to the home.
• Entertainment will generally be same-sex only. If both sexes are included, they will be in separate rooms.

If you are invited to a Saudi's house:

• You would usually remove your shoes.
• Dress conservatively.
• Try to arrive at the invited time. Punctuality is appreciated but not crucial.
• Show respect for the elders by greeting them first.
• Accept the offer of Arabian coffee and dates even if you do not normally drink coffee.
• If you are invited for a meal, understand that there will be a great deal of socializing and small talk before the meal is served.

Table manners:

• If the meal is on the floor, sit cross-legged or kneel on one knee..
• Eat only with the right hand as the left is considered unclean.
• Try a bit of everything that is served.
• Meals are generally served family-style.
• Honoured guests are often offered the most prized pieces such as a sheep's head so be prepared!
• There is often more food than you can eat. Part of Saudi hospitality and generosity is to shower guests with abundance.
• There is little conversation during meals so that diners may relish the food.

Business Etiquette Basics

Relationships & Communication

• You will need a Saudi sponsor (wakeel) to enter the country. The sponsor acts as an intermediary and arranges appointments with appropriate individuals.
• Saudis do not require as much personal space as most western cultures. As such, they will stand close to you while conversing and you may feel as if your personal space has been violated.
• Saudis prefer to work with people they know and trust and will spend a great deal of time on the getting-to-know-you part of relationship building.
• You must be patient.
• Since Saudis will most likely judge you on appearances, dress and present yourself well.

Business Meeting Etiquette

• Appointments are necessary and should be made several weeks to one month in advance if at all possible.
• When meeting with government officials, a firm date will not be settled upon until you are physically in the country.
• Try to schedule meetings in the morning.
• You should arrive at meetings on time, although it is an accepted custom to keep foreigners waiting.
• It is not uncommon to have a meeting cancelled once you arrive.
• Meetings are generally not private until after a relationship of trust has been developed. This means you may expect frequent interruptions. Others may wander into the room and start a different discussion. You may join in, but do not try to bring the topic back to the original discussion until the new person leaves.
• Business meetings start after prolonged inquiries about health, family, etc. Never inquire about a Saudi's wife.

Dress Etiquette

• All Saudi wear long white thobes. You would be expected to wear a suit.
• Dress well if you want to make a good impression.
• Business women should make certain that their collarbones and knees are covered and that their clothes are not form-fitting.

Source: South Travels, iexplore, journey mart, Kwintessential