Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s most visually diverse filming destinations, offering futuristic cities, ancient landscapes, coastal backdrops, and vast deserts. This guidebook helps filmmakers explore key locations and navigate permits confidently with expert support from Saudi Film Permit.
If you’ve been searching for a place where your camera never gets bored, Saudi Arabia is that place.
Ask any filmmaker who has shot here recently, and they’ll tell you the same thing: “It feels like discovering a completely new cinematic world.”
The Kingdom is enormous, geographically diverse, culturally layered, and—best of all—still visually fresh to global audiences.
But choosing where to film is only half the story. You also need to know how to navigate the landscape, the permits, the culture, and the practicalities that make a shoot run smoothly. That’s where this guidebook comes in. By the end, you’ll not only understand where to film in Saudi Arabia—you’ll understand how to work here with confidence.
Let’s begin.
Before diving into the locations, let’s talk about something filmmakers don’t say out loud but think about constantly:
“I don’t have time for confusion.”
Production days are expensive. Delays hurt. Misinformation hurts even more.
Saudi Film Permit exists for that exact reason—to make filming in the Kingdom easier, faster, safer, and more predictable for international and local crews.
Saudi Arabia is changing at a pace few people have ever seen. Vision 2030 is opening the country to tourism, production, talent, and international collaboration. That also means the filming landscape is dynamic—rules evolve, new locations open, new opportunities appear.
You want someone who actually understands that ecosystem, not someone guessing from the sidelines.
Location scouting, drone permissions, crew movement, translation, local fixers, private venue access, airport handling—if it makes a shoot easier, Saudi Film Permit handles it.
Saudi Arabia is big. Really big. The terrain changes every few hours.
No one wants to juggle a different contact for every region. With one team handling Riyadh, AlUla, NEOM, Jeddah, the Empty Quarter, Qassim, and more, your production runs like a single journey rather than separate mini-projects.
Now—let’s explore the places your camera is about to fall in love with.
The Modern Metropolis With Unexpected Depth
When people imagine Riyadh, they often picture glass towers, business districts, and polished highways. And yes—you’ll find all of that. The skyline around KAFD and the Financial District gives you a futuristic, global-city look that rivals any major capital.
But what filmmakers love about Riyadh is the contrast.
In one day, you can film:
Riyadh is flexible. It can be modern, historic, corporate, cultural, rugged, or elegant depending on your lens.
And onboarding your project here becomes far easier when you apply for film permit with expert support—especially when dealing with busy districts or heritage locations.
Where Every Frame Looks Like a Movie Poster
If you haven’t seen AlUla in person, imagine a massive open-air museum carved by time itself. This is the region that makes cinematographers go quiet, not because it lacks possibilities, but because it has too many.
You’ll find:
AlUla looks untouched, because it mostly is. Its landscapes carry a silence that documentaries, dramas, and luxury commercials crave. Filming here requires sensitivity—and proper approvals—but the payoff is enormous.
The Future, Literally Being Built in Front of You
If Riyadh represents the present and AlUla holds the past, NEOM is the future.
This mega-development is designed to be unlike anything on earth. Sleek architecture, vast untouched coastlines, dramatic mountain ranges—it’s the kind of place where you can film a sci-fi sequence at 8am and a nature documentary at noon.
The Red Sea coastline here is pristine, beautifully lit, and visually “new” to the film world. Think turquoise water, desert-meets-ocean backdrops, rugged cliffs, and miles of untouched beaches.
Permits are essential in NEOM—it’s a high-security development zone—but that’s where the Saudi Film Permit team steps in to simplify things.
Sea Breeze, Street Life, and Stories in Every Corner
Jeddah is the soul of the Red Sea coast. Warm, chaotic, artistic, colorful—this is where modern Saudi culture meets centuries-old maritime history.
Visual favorites include:
Jeddah works beautifully for documentaries, lifestyle shoots, tourism content, and anything that needs human energy and coastal charm.
The Desert That Redefines the Word “Vast”
Some deserts feel big.
This one feels infinite.
Rub’ al Khali—the Empty Quarter—is one of the largest sand deserts on earth, offering visuals you simply can’t fake on sound stages:
It’s used for car commercials, adventure films, music videos, and even “alien world” scenes. Shooting here requires planning and safety support, but the results are breathtaking.
Oases, Markets, Date Palms, and Cultural Heartlands
Qassim is where you go when you want a softer, more authentic cultural palette. The region is known for its lush date farms, camel markets, and traditional architecture.
It doesn’t scream for attention, but it delivers atmosphere—warm, grounded, human stories.
It’s ideal for:
If you want to capture Saudi Arabia’s traditional rhythm away from the big cities, Qassim is perfect.
A Special Note on Restrictions
Makkah is the holiest city in Islam, and entry is allowed only for Muslims.
Filming here is highly restricted, and access is usually limited to documentary or religious projects that go through strict approval pathways.
For productions involving pilgrims, religious contexts, or private locations, professional guidance is non-negotiable.
Filmmakers often ask:
“What kind of productions have successfully filmed in Saudi Arabia with your support?”
Here are a few project types where Saudi Film Permit provided professional assistance:
A global automotive brand needed contrasting visuals: futuristic roads in Riyadh and cinematic desert dunes in AlUla.
Saudi Film Permit helped with:
The production wrapped two days early… thanks to seamless logistics.
A European documentary crew filmed cultural stories across markets, coastal neighborhoods, and agricultural zones.
Support included:
The crew praised the clarity of guidance and smooth workflow.
You’ve seen the locations—now here’s what makes shooting in Saudi Arabia actually workable for real productions.
Production becomes simpler, not harder.
Here’s the truth every filmmaker eventually discovers:
You can have the best location, the best crew, and the best camera—but without the right permit, nothing moves.
Saudi Film Permit helps you:
You stay focused on creativity—they handle the compliance.
Saudi Arabia is not a single filming destination—it’s an entire cinematic universe waiting to be explored.
From futuristic skylines to ancient rock cities, from coastal sunsets to endless dunes, from high-energy urban scenes to quiet cultural stories, the Kingdom gives filmmakers range, personality, and visual richness.
And with the right support team on your side, filming here becomes significantly easier than most crews expect.
If you're scouting filming locations in Saudi Arabia and want a partner who knows the terrain, the permits, and the production ecosystem, Saudi Film Permit is your easiest way forward.
Get expert location scouting, production support, and end-to-end assistance—so you can focus on what you do best: telling powerful stories.
Yes. Whether you're filming a documentary, commercial, or feature, a film permit is required for all professional shoots.
Absolutely. International crews regularly film in Saudi Arabia with proper guidance and a local permitting partner.
Yes, but aerial filming requires special approvals, especially near heritage sites, urban centers, and NEOM zones.
Riyadh, Jeddah, and AlUla are among the most production-friendly, with clear workflows and experienced local support.
They provide professional scouting services across all regions, helping you match your creative brief with the perfect backdrop.
