Tourist visa from Saudi

I will be moving to Shanghai in June. I will have a working Z type so I am ok. but my friend is having to travel with me to help me with my stuff. We live in Saudi Arabia and will be travelling from here. My friend is a US citizen though. He is visiting home in Michigan at the moment, he gets back to Saudi one week from now. Once back in Saudi he will be unable to visit the consulate in person (if there even is one) because it is a five hour drive from us during work hours that we can't get out of. What would be the process of applying for a L type in this situation? Would it be best/possible for him to get it from Michigan within the next week before he leaves. It will not be needed until June, nor will the flights be booked until the day before.