Dubai to Riyadh by Road: Bus, Car, Border and Visa (2026)

The short answer: Dubai to Riyadh is about 1,000 km by road: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the Ghuwaifat border, Al Batha on the Saudi side, then Highway 10 across the desert to Riyadh. Driving takes 10 to 11 hours, more if the border is busy. UAE residents need a Saudi visa (most apply for the GCC resident e-Visa on ksavisa.sa) and Saudi-specific car insurance, Manafeth, from about AED 117 for two weeks. SAPTCO's cross-border bus leaves Dubai daily and has been quoted at around AED 140 to 160 one way, taking 15 to 18 hours. The fastest way is to fly: flydubai, flynas, Saudia and Emirates all run Dubai to Riyadh nonstop in about 2 hours, several times a day.

Option	Time (one way)	Approx. cost	Good to know
Fly	About 2 hours	Fares move with demand and rise in Riyadh Season	flydubai, flynas, Saudia and Emirates fly nonstop, several times daily
SAPTCO bus	15 to 18 hours	About AED 140 to 160 (confirm with the agent)	Daily departure from Al Murar, Dubai; crosses at Al Batha
Drive	10 to 11 hours, more at the border	Fuel, Saudi visa fee, Manafeth insurance	Needs mulkiya, Saudi visa and Manafeth cover arranged before you leave

The route from Dubai to Riyadh

From Dubai the drive runs down the E11 through Abu Dhabi to the Ghuwaifat border, roughly 400 km away. Cross into Saudi Arabia at Al Batha and the road becomes Highway 10, which runs dead straight for about 240 km across the edge of the Rub al Khali to the town of Haradh, one of the longest straight stretches of road anywhere in the world. From Haradh the route turns north-west for Riyadh, around 300 km further on. Total distance from Dubai works out at roughly 1,000 km, though some route-planning tools put it closer to 1,200 km depending on your exact start point and where you're headed within Riyadh, so check your own route before you commit to a time.

Crossing at Ghuwaifat and Al Batha

Ghuwaifat–Al Batha is the only land border between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and it operates 24 hours a day. On the UAE side, Abu Dhabi Police's Smart Land Border Crossing system lets many drivers stay in the car for passport control, provided the vehicle, insurance and ID are all registered to the same name; otherwise you queue at the counter as usual. Expect extra scrutiny and longer queues during Ramadan, the Umrah season and public holidays on both sides of the border.

At Al Batha, Saudi officers check your passport, your visa and the car's papers, and may scan the vehicle. Keep printed and digital copies of everything to hand: passport, Emirates ID, Saudi visa, mulkiya and insurance certificate.

What UAE residents need

• Passport valid for at least 6 months
• A Saudi visa (see below)
• Emirates ID and a valid UAE residence visa
• A UAE driving licence
• The mulkiya (vehicle registration) in the driver's name
• Manafeth insurance covering Saudi Arabia

GCC nationals

GCC nationals travel on their national ID card and need no Saudi visa at all. Everyone else, including UAE residents of other nationalities, needs a visa arranged before they reach the border, not at the counter.

The Saudi visa for UAE residents

Most UAE residents apply through Saudi Arabia's official platform, ksavisa.sa: choose Visit, then Tourism, then GCC Resident under nationality, then the e-Visa option. The multiple-entry version is valid for a year and allows a stay of up to 90 days on each visit; a single-entry visa is reported at around 30 days. Guides differ on the residence rule itself: most say your UAE residence permit needs at least three months left on it, though one 2026 source says six, so leave a safety margin rather than applying at the last minute. Fees run from about AED 294 for a single-entry visa to somewhere around AED 490 to 525 for the multiple-entry one, with medical insurance included in both. For the fuller picture of documents, timing and what can go wrong with an application, see our Saudi visa for UAE residents guide, or let our Saudi Arabia visa service handle the application for you.

If you're going for Umrah rather than a Riyadh trip, the current tourist e-Visa covers it outside the Hajj season; our Umrah from Dubai guide has the Nusuk permit details.

Car insurance and papers for the drive

Your UAE motor policy almost certainly does not cover Saudi Arabia. The kingdom requires its own short-term cover, Manafeth, run by the insurer Najm, bought online or at the border before you cross; Al Batha is the only option for UAE motorists driving in. Prices run from about AED 117 for two weeks to around AED 1,176 for a year:

Cover	Price (SAR)	Approx. AED
1 week	120	117
2 weeks	200	196
1 month	250	245
3 months	400	392
6 months	900	882
1 year	1,200	1,176

If the car is financed or leased, carry a no-objection letter from the bank or leasing company; banks can take a week or more to issue one, so ask well before you plan to travel. A rental car needs the rental company's written permission and its own Saudi cover, and plenty of UAE rental firms don't allow Saudi trips at all, so ask before you book rather than at the counter.

The SAPTCO bus from Dubai to Riyadh

SAPTCO, the Saudi state bus company, runs a daily cross-border coach to Riyadh, booked in the UAE through its agent, Belad Al Sham Passenger Transport. The Dubai pick-up point is Shop 10, Bin Rasheed Building, Al Khaleej Road, Al Murar, with other stops in Abu Dhabi (Al Shahamah), Sharjah (Al Soor) and Ajman. Departures are usually reported between 2pm and 3pm, with the operator notifying passengers of any change. The trip takes 15 to 18 hours to Riyadh, dropping passengers at Azizia on the South Circular Road. Luggage is limited to 50 kg, with extra charged at about AED 3 per kilogram.

Fares have been reported at AED 140 one way, AED 260 return, and in older listings as high as AED 250 one way, so treat any figure here as a starting point and confirm the current fare with Belad Al Sham before you book. At the border, everyone leaves the bus for Saudi passport control, carrying the same documents listed above.

Flying to Riyadh instead

flydubai, flynas, Saudia and Emirates all fly Dubai to Riyadh nonstop, several times a day, in around 2 hours, usually from Dubai International (DXB) to King Khalid International (RUH). It's generally cheaper to book several weeks ahead, and fares climb once Riyadh Season and big events push demand up, so it pays to book your seat before you fix a hotel.

Riyadh Season, and when to go

Riyadh Season 2026 opened on Wednesday 21 October and runs for about ten weeks, so it's on through most of this winter. The exact closing date for this edition, and whether the 2027 season follows straight on, had not been confirmed by the General Entertainment Authority when we checked; some reports mention the season running into March 2027, but treat that as unconfirmed. Expect Riyadh hotel prices to rise through the season, and book zone tickets, including Boulevard World, through the official Riyadh Season channels once they go on sale rather than through a reseller.

If you'd rather time your trip around when Dubai itself quietens down, our UAE winter break and UAE public holidays 2027 guides list the long weekends worth building a Riyadh trip around.

Before you go

• Time difference. Saudi Arabia runs an hour behind the UAE (Riyadh is UTC+3 against Dubai's UTC+4), and neither country changes its clocks for summer.
• Fuel. Saudi petrol is noticeably cheaper than in the UAE. Fill up once you're over the border rather than carrying a full tank from Dubai, and keep some riyals in cash, since stations on the quieter stretches don't always take cards.
• Speed cameras. The Saher system covers Saudi's main roads with fixed and mobile cameras. Highway limits generally run to 120 km/h, rising to 140 km/h on a few expressways, and down to 40 to 80 km/h through towns; reported fines for speeding run from about SAR 150 up to SAR 2,000 depending on how far over the limit you are, so watch the signs rather than the satnav.
• What not to carry. Alcohol, pork products and anything that could be read as a narcotic are all prohibited and taken seriously at the border. Declare any cash over SAR 60,000 (about AED 58,700).

Frequently asked questions

How far is Dubai from Riyadh by road?

About 1,000 km, via Abu Dhabi, the Ghuwaifat border and Al Batha, though the exact figure depends on your start and end point in each city. The drive itself takes 10 to 11 hours without delays.

Do I need a visa to drive from Dubai to Riyadh?

Yes, unless you hold a GCC passport. Most UAE residents apply for the GCC resident e-Visa on ksavisa.sa before they travel; see our Saudi visa guide for the current fee and documents.

Can I drive my own car from the UAE to Saudi Arabia?

Yes, with your mulkiya in your own name, a UAE driving licence, and Manafeth insurance bought online or at the Al Batha border. A financed or leased car needs a no-objection letter from the bank or leasing company first.

Is there a bus from Dubai to Riyadh?

Yes. SAPTCO runs a daily cross-border coach, booked through its Dubai agent Belad Al Sham, taking 15 to 18 hours. Confirm the current fare and pick-up time before you travel, since reported prices vary by source.

How long is the flight from Dubai to Riyadh?

About 2 hours nonstop. flydubai, flynas, Saudia and Emirates all fly the route several times a day from Dubai International.

What is Riyadh Season and when is it on?

Riyadh Season is Saudi Arabia's winter entertainment festival, with concerts, the Boulevard World zone and sporting events across the city. The 2026 edition opened on 21 October and runs for about ten weeks; the exact closing date was not confirmed when we checked.

Plan your Saudi Arabia trip with Holidayys

We can book your flights and hotel for a Riyadh trip, work through your Saudi visa alongside your UAE residence status, and arrange travel insurance for the trip, by air or by road. Message us on WhatsApp +971 4 589 0001 or use our contact page.

Related guides

• Saudi visa for UAE residents
• Umrah from Dubai
• Dubai to Qatar by road
• Dubai to Bahrain: flights, driving and the causeway
• Hatta border crossing to Oman
• UAE public holidays 2027 and the long weekends

Last checked 4 November 2026 against Saudi Arabia's official visa platform ksavisa.sa, Najm's Manafeth insurance pricing, SAPTCO's UAE booking agent Belad Al Sham, airline schedules for Dubai to Riyadh, and Saudi media reporting on Riyadh Season 2026. Visa fees, insurance prices, bus fares and the Riyadh Season closing date all change, and reports on the bus fare alone range from AED 140 to AED 260, so confirm each figure before you travel.