If I am blacklisted from Dubai due to TB in the past, will I struggle to get a visa for Saudi Arabia?

Hi Mohammad

We receive questions about being banned from Dubai and other emirates in the UAE fairly regularly. We touch on this in our Working in Dubai page, and I would recommend you have a look at my response to this post on our forum.

The deportation of expatriates due to TB scarring has been an issue for sometime, but came to prominence again with the case of Akbar Ali in July last year. You can read about it on the Gulf News website.

The unfortunate reality seems to be that it would be very difficult to get your ban lifted, if at all. At the same time, the handling of current and former tuberculosis patients has been an issue across the GCC – Saudi Arabia included.

That said, your ban only applies to the UAE and should not prohibit you from at least applying. Another unfortunate reality is that the application of these laws is fairly inconsistent.

Thankfully, people applying for Visas for Saudi Arabia have to do a medical check as part of the application process before they arrive in the country.  So, at least you are less likely to travel all the way to KSA only to be deported.

Best of luck, I hope this works out for you.

Xavier