Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia is a government ministry that delivers diplomatic, consular, and visa services to Saudi citizens abroad, residents, visitors, businesses, Hajj/Umrah providers, and foreign diplomatic missions through 100+ embassies and an integrated digital services platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1930
- HeadquartersRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Ministry of Foreign Affairs does
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a sovereign government ministry established in 1930 and headquartered in Riyadh. It is the exclusive Saudi authority on diplomatic representation, foreign policy management, consular services, visa issuance, and document attestation. The Ministry serves Saudi citizens abroad, foreign residents, visitors, business entities, Hajj and Umrah service providers, and foreign diplomatic missions accredited to the Kingdom, operating through a global network of more than 100 embassies, consulates, and representative offices alongside domestic branches in Riyadh, Jeddah, Medina, the Eastern Province, and Al Qassim.
MOFA delivers services through an integrated digital platform architecture. The four core systems are the Visa Services Platform (ksavisa.sa) for electronic visa applications, the Ratification System (services.mofa.gov.sa/ratification) for document attestation and Apostille certificates, the Protocol Management System (marasim.mofa.gov.sa) for foreign diplomatic missions, and the Fanar portal for services to Saudis abroad. These are supplemented by specialized modules for Hajj, Umrah, and health service providers, and category-specific visa request services (business, personal, pilgrimage, study, medical treatment, family visit, work, and return-visa extension). A unified contact center (920011114) and mobile application provide additional service channels, and the platform integrates with the Sadad national payment system for fee collection. In April 2026, the Ministry piloted a digital attestation service using QR codes, reference numbers, and barcodes.
The Ministry operates under a non-commercial revenue model. Document ratification is standardized at 30 SAR per document, with exemptions for Saudi citizens on birth, educational, and death certificates. Other streams include visa service fees and diplomatic protocol service charges, but government budget allocations are not reported as commercial revenue. The Ministry is registered with the Saudi Digital Government Authority under number 20230911524. Leadership is headed by Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud (in role since 2019), with Waleed El-Khereiji serving as Vice Minister.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Legal name
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Website
- https://mofa.gov.sa
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1930
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia is a government ministry that delivers diplomatic, consular, and visa services to Saudi citizens abroad, residents, visitors, businesses, Hajj/Umrah providers, and foreign diplomatic missions through 100+ embassies and an integrated digital services platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ministry of Foreign Affairs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Government Foreign Affairs Services
- NAICS
- International Affairs (92812), National Security and International Affairs (928)
- SIC
- International Affairs (9721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Executive Office / Cabinet Secretariat (BPAIAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Diplomatic Missions & Embassies (Bilateral Relations) (BPAIAIAA), Consular Services & Citizen Assistance (BPAIAIAB), Visa, Immigration Liaison & Travel Document Policy (Foreign Affairs) (BPAIAIAL)
Keywords
Where Ministry of Foreign Affairs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Riyadh
- HQ country
- Saudi Arabia
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices5 records
Markets served
Ministry of Foreign Affairs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Document Ratification Fees: Government service fees for document attestation and ratification. Standard ratification fee is 30 SAR per document. Saudi citizens are exempt from fees for birth certificates, educational certificates, and death certificates.
- Visa Services Fees: Fees collected for various visa services including work visas, pilgrimage visas, visit visas, and medical treatment visas processed through the visa services platform.
- Diplomatic Services: Services for foreign diplomatic missions in the Kingdom including airport passes, driver licenses, vehicle registrations, and residence permits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Document Ratification |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Saudi Citizens Exempt Services |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Visa and Passport Services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Ministry of Foreign Affairs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia provides diplomatic representation, foreign policy management, and consular services through a network of over 100 embassies, consulates, and representative offices worldwide. It operates a digital government services platform encompassing visa processing, document ratification and Apostille certification, diplomatic protocol management, and services for Saudi citizens abroad including passport issuance and consular assistance.
Product overview
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia operates a comprehensive digital government services platform consisting of multiple interconnected systems. The core infrastructure includes the Visa Services Platform (ksavisa.sa) for electronic visa applications, the Ratification System for document attestation and Apostille certificates, the Protocol System (marasim.mofa.gov.sa) for diplomatic mission management, and the Fanar portal for services to Saudis abroad. These platforms are complemented by specialized portals for Hajj and Umrah service providers, health services, and various visa categories including business, pilgrimage, study, medical treatment, and family visit visas. The portfolio represents a platform-plus-modules architecture where central systems handle authentication and core workflows while specialized modules address specific service categories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Visa Services Platform (ksavisa.sa) Electronic platform for visa application and processing that enables individuals and organizations to submit visa requests, track application status, and make payments for various visa types including business, visit, work, pilgrimage, study, and medical treatment visas.
- Ratification System (services.mofa.gov.sa/ratification) Electronic document attestation and ratification service that provides legal validity to documents for use across state lines, including Apostille certificate services, with online submission, appointment booking, and fee payment through the Sadad system. Covers educational, commercial, personal, and governmental document verification at a standard fee of 30 SAR per document.
- Protocol System (marasim.mofa.gov.sa) Protocol management system for foreign diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia, handling services such as airport passes, vehicle registrations, driver licenses, residence permits, exit/re-entry visas, and security coordination for diplomatic personnel.
- Fanar - Services for Saudis Abroad Online portal for Saudis living abroad to access passport services including issuance, renewal, lost passport replacement, laissez-passer requests, and assistance requests for problems encountered abroad.
- Digital Document Attestation Service Service enabling attestation of digital documents equipped with modern verification features including QR codes, reference numbers, and barcodes, streamlining the traditionally multi-step document attestation process.
- Hajj Services Provider Portal Portal allowing Hajj service providers outside the Kingdom, approved by Saudi missions, to log in and complete Hajj requests submitted through the Ministry of Pilgrims.
- Umrah Services Portal Online service for Umrah service providers outside the Kingdom, approved by Saudi missions, to log in and complete Umrah requests submitted by the Ministry of Pilgrims.
- Health Services Provider Portal Service allowing health service providers outside the Kingdom, approved by Saudi missions, to log in and enter medical examination results for visa applicants.
- Diplomatic and Special Passport Issuance Service Service for issuing diplomatic or special passports for eligible categories including retired state personnel, serving diplomats, and their families.
- Dalil Platform - Digital Academic Certificate Attestation Digital system integrated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Sharjah Private Education Authority for quickly issuing and attesting academic certificates, reducing transaction time from six days to three minutes.
Quantifiable outcome
- Digital attestation reduces processing time from 6 days to 3 minutes
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Ministry of Foreign Affairs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Ministry of Foreign Affairs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ministry of Foreign Affairs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Saudi Digital Government Authority (DGA): The regulator under which the Ministry is formally registered (license 20230911524); adjacent ecosystem participant that sets the digital service standards MOFA's platforms must comply with.
- Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Saudi Arabia): Domestic Saudi counterpart that submits Hajj/Umrah requests through MOFA's service provider portals; adjacent government entity with overlapping customer base (Hajj/Umrah service providers) and shared pilgrimage coordination workflow.
Direct peers
- Bahrain Ministry of Foreign Affairs: GCC peer ministry offering the same diplomatic, consular, and visa services at smaller scale; directly comparable for benchmarking service delivery in a similar Gulf regulatory environment.
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs: GCC peer ministry performing the same set of functions — visa issuance, document attestation, consular services, and diplomatic representation — for a neighboring Gulf state with a comparable digital transformation agenda and similar reliance on expatriate labor flows.
- Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs: GCC foreign ministry with identical mandate across consular services, visa issuance, and diplomatic representation; closest functional peer by structure and service mix.
- Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Direct GCC counterpart operating embassies worldwide, providing consular and visa services, and pursuing a parallel modernization track; comparable in scope, mandate, and Gulf regional operating context.
Broad incumbents
- French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs: Major European foreign ministry operating a comparable portfolio of visa, consular, document attestation, and bilateral diplomatic services through a similarly large global embassy footprint.
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Global incumbent foreign ministry with mature digital services for visas and consular assistance; comparable in offering an integrated overseas services platform (analogous to Fanar) and document legalization services.
- U.S. Department of State: Large, established foreign affairs ministry operating on a global scale with much broader resources and headcount; useful as a structural benchmark for embassy network scale, consular digitization, and visa processing throughput.
Regional players
- Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Arab regional foreign ministry serving as a counterpart in joint diplomatic forums (note the recent Cairo quadrilateral mentioned in MOFA's news feed); comparable in regional diplomatic coordination but operates in a different sub-region.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ministry of Foreign Affairs social profiles
Digital presenceMinistry of Foreign Affairs compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Ministry of Foreign Affairs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ministry of Foreign Affairs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Ministry of Foreign Affairs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ministry of Foreign Affairs
What does Ministry of Foreign Affairs do?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia provides diplomatic representation, foreign policy management, and consular services through a network of over 100 embassies, consulates, and representative offices worldwide. It operates a digital government services platform encompassing visa processing, document ratification and Apostille certification, diplomatic protocol management, and services for Saudi citizens abroad including passport issuance and consular assistance.
Is Ministry of Foreign Affairs a public or private company?
Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Ministry of Foreign Affairs founded?
Ministry of Foreign Affairs was founded in 1930. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Ministry of Foreign Affairs based?
Ministry of Foreign Affairs is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the Middle East region.
How does Ministry of Foreign Affairs make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Document Ratification Fees are the primary driver. The others are visa Services Fees and diplomatic Services.
Who are Ministry of Foreign Affairs's main competitors?
Others on record are Saudi Digital Government Authority (DGA) and Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Saudi Arabia). Direct peers are Bahrain Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Broad incumbents are French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and U.S. Department of State. Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is listed as a regional player.
Does Ministry of Foreign Affairs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
What industry is Ministry of Foreign Affairs in?
Ministry of Foreign Affairs's product category is Government Foreign Affairs Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAAAA, Executive Office / Cabinet Secretariat, with a secondary code of BPAIAIAA, Diplomatic Missions & Embassies (Bilateral Relations). Its NAICS code is 92812 and its SIC code is 9721.