# AI tells a Saudi Arabia tourist e-visa applicant that travel health insurance is optional or must be purchased separately

- **ID:** `policy/evisa-bundled-health-insurance-mandatory`
- **Domain:** policy
- **Category:** administrative_barrier
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 80%

## Root Cause

Saudi Arabia's tourist e-visa fee (about SAR 535) automatically bundles a government-run visitor health insurance policy administered by the Council of Health Insurance (CHI), covering medical emergencies up to SAR 100,000 and emergency childbirth up to SAR 5,000; there is no way to opt out or buy the visa without it. That basic coverage is bare-bones and does not carry over to a visa extension - CHI requires a fresh insurance policy be issued and linked to the passport for the extension period.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| any | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **Apply for the e-visa as normal - the visitor insurance is issued automatically with it - and verify coverage afterward on the CHI website using the visa or passport number** (85% success)
   ```
   Use CHI's online insurance-inquiry service (chi.gov.sa) with your visa/passport number to confirm the policy is active before travel.
   ```
2. **If extending a visit visa past its original expiry, arrange a new CHI-linked insurance policy for the extension period through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Enjaz platform before the extension is finalized** (70% success)

## Dead Ends

- **Tell a tourist e-visa applicant to shop for or purchase a separate travel health insurance policy to satisfy Saudi Arabia's visa insurance requirement** — The Council of Health Insurance (CHI)-administered visitor policy is automatically bundled into the roughly SAR 535 e-visa fee and issued digitally alongside the visa; applicants cannot opt out of it or substitute a different policy to get the e-visa issued, though they may add supplementary private coverage on top. (55% fail)
- **Assume the original e-visa's bundled insurance automatically extends its coverage if the visit visa itself is extended** — CHI's guidance states a visitor who extends their visit visa after its expiry must obtain a new insurance policy covering the extension period, linked to their passport - the original bundled policy does not roll over automatically. (50% fail)