Umrah Visa Requirements & the Nusuk App — Complete 2026 Guide

Do I actually need a “Umrah visa” in 2026?

Since 2019, Saudi Arabia has allowed pilgrims to perform Umrah on the standard tourist eVisa — meaning citizens of 66 eligible countries (UK, US, EU, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, GCC and others) no longer need a dedicated Umrah visa. The tourist eVisa is multiple-entry, valid for one year, and permits stays of up to 90 days per visit. For most Western pilgrims this is now the fastest, cheapest route.

A dedicated Umrah visa is still issued — primarily for pilgrims from countries not eligible for the tourist eVisa (most of Sub-Saharan Africa, parts of Central Asia, etc.), or for those booking through a full Umrah package with a licensed Mu‘assasah (Umrah operator). The Umrah visa is single-entry, valid for 30 days from arrival, and restricts movement during Hajj season (typically 1 Shawwal — end of Dhul-Hijjah).

There is no longer any “gender-and-mahram” rule that prevents women from applying alone. Since October 2021, women of any age may perform Umrah without a male guardian (maḥram) on either visa route. Women under 18 still require a parent or guardian listed on the application.

Visa routes at a glance (2026)

Match your nationality and trip type to the right visa.

• Tourist eVisa — for the 66 eligible countries (full list at visa.visitsaudi.com). Multiple-entry, 1-year validity, 90-day stays. Cost: ~SAR 535 (~USD 145) including mandatory health insurance.
• Dedicated Umrah visa — for pilgrims outside the eVisa list, or those buying a guided Umrah package. Single-entry, 30 days. Cost: typically included in the package; standalone fee ~SAR 300.
• GCC residents — residents of UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar (any nationality) can apply for an e-visa for residents of GCC at visa.mofa.gov.sa. Cost: ~SAR 480.
• GCC citizens — Saudi, Emirati, Kuwaiti, Bahraini, Omani, Qatari citizens may enter with national ID, no visa required.
• Visa-on-arrival — UK, US, EU passport holders with a valid UK/US/Schengen visa used at least once, or a UK/US/EU residency, may obtain a visa on arrival at any major Saudi airport. Cost: SAR 480.
• Diplomatic / business visa — anyone in Saudi on a long-term visa (work, residency, business) may perform Umrah without a separate permit; only the Nusuk Umrah permit is required.

What is Nusuk — and why you must install it

Nusuk (نُسُك, meaning “rite of worship”) is the official Saudi government super-app that replaced Eatmarna, Tawakkalna-for-pilgrims, and the older Maqam booking systems. Since 2024, the Two Holy Mosques operate on a permit-only basis: you cannot enter the Mataf for Umrah, the Rawdah in Madinah, or peak-time Friday and Ramadan prayers without a digital permit issued through Nusuk.

Nusuk is published by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj & Umrah and is the only authorised app for these reservations. Look for the publisher “Ministry of Hajj and Umrah” when downloading — many copycat apps now exist. The official URLs are nusuk.sa and the Nusuk Hajj sub-site nusuk.sa/hajj.

Beyond permits, Nusuk also serves as a digital pilgrim ID (linked to your visa), a wallet for paying for Zamzam delivery and approved guided tours, a navigator inside the Haram, and a help channel that connects you to scholars and emergency services in 17 languages.

Step-by-step — installing and registering on Nusuk

You can register before you fly. The app works internationally; only some booking flows (e.g. a domestic Saudi mobile number for OTP) require activation after you land.

1. Download “Nusuk” from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). Publisher must be “Ministry of Hajj and Umrah”.
2. Tap “Register as a Visitor” (do NOT pick “Saudi National” — that requires a Saudi Absher ID).
3. Enter your passport number exactly as on your passport, your full name in English (matching the passport), date of birth, and nationality.
4. Upload a clear photo of your passport bio-page and a recent passport-style photo. Approval is automatic and usually instant.
5. Verify the email and mobile number you registered with. An OTP is sent to both.
6. Once verified, complete the medical profile (existing conditions, mobility needs) and emergency contact section. This data is shared with Red Crescent paramedics inside the Haram if you ever need them.
7. Link your Umrah or tourist visa: under Profile → My Visa, paste your visa number. Once linked, your eligibility for permits unlocks.

Booking your Umrah permit — what most pilgrims get wrong

A Saudi visa lets you enter the country. A Nusuk Umrah permit lets you enter the Mataf (Tawaf area) to perform the Umrah ritual itself. They are separate and many first-time pilgrims do not realise this until they are turned away at the gate.

Permits are free of charge. They are issued in 24-hour time slots — when you book, you commit to entering the Haram within that window. Outside the window the gates check your Nusuk QR code and refuse entry until your slot opens. There is no daily cap during off-peak months, but during Ramadan and school holidays slots can be fully booked 2–4 weeks ahead.

1. Open Nusuk → tap “Umrah” on the home screen.
2. Choose your preferred date — the calendar shows green (available), yellow (limited), red (full) slots.
3. Pick a 2-hour entry window. The permit is valid for 24 hours from your entry time.
4. Confirm. Your permit appears as a QR code under “My Permits”. Save a screenshot — Haram WiFi is often unreliable.
5. At the Haram gate, show the QR code to the scanner. A green tick admits you; a red cross usually means you booked the wrong date — staff will redirect to the rebooking kiosk.

Madinah — Rawdah, Masjid an-Nabawi & ziyarah permits

Visiting the Prophet ﷺ (ziyarah) is not part of Umrah — it is a separate, recommended sunnah, and most pilgrims spend 3–7 days in Madinah either before or after Makkah. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever visits me after my death is as one who visited me in my lifetime” (al-Bayhaqi 10406, hasan).

The Rawdah (the small carpeted area between the Prophet’s ﷺ pulpit and his blessed grave — called “a garden from the gardens of Paradise” in Bukhari 1196) operates on a strict permit-only system since 2022. Permits are timed slots of 15–30 minutes, separated by gender, issued through Nusuk.

Plan to book your Rawdah permit on the day you confirm your flights. During Ramadan, slots open 7 days in advance and disappear within minutes — set a Nusuk reminder.

1. Open Nusuk → tap “Ziyarah of the Prophet’s Mosque”.
2. Select the date of your visit and your gender (the Rawdah is open to men and women in alternating windows).
3. Pick an available time slot. Confirm. The QR code appears under “My Permits” — separate from your Umrah permit.
4. Arrive at Bāb as-Salām (Gate 1) about 20 minutes before your slot. Staff check the QR, then guide you in queues into the Rawdah for the 15–30 minute window.
5. Inside, pray two short rak‘ah on the green carpet, then move toward the brass screen of the blessed grave: turn to face the grave (not the Qiblah) and offer concise greetings to the Prophet ﷺ, then Abu Bakr, then Umar. Do not raise your hands or call upon them — only greet.

Mandatory health requirements (2026)

Saudi Arabia enforces some of the strictest pilgrim health rules in the world, because the Haram concentrates millions of people from over 180 countries in a small space. Vaccinations must be administered no less than 10 days before arrival and no more than 3 years before, and proof must be presented at the visa application stage and again at immigration.

• Meningococcal ACWY (quadrivalent) — mandatory for ALL pilgrims aged 1 year and over. Conjugate vaccines (Menveo, Nimenrix) are preferred and valid for 5 years; polysaccharide vaccines (Mencevax ACWY) are valid for 3 years.
• Polio (OPV or IPV) — mandatory for pilgrims from polio-endemic or recently re-infected countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan, several Sub-Saharan African states). Valid for 1 year.
• Yellow fever — mandatory for pilgrims from yellow fever endemic countries (most of Sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America). Valid for life.
• Seasonal influenza — strongly recommended for everyone, mandatory for pilgrims with chronic illness, the elderly, pregnant women, and children.
• COVID-19 — no longer mandatory as of 2024, but Saudi authorities still recommend a booster within 12 months of travel.

Documents to carry at the border

Saudi immigration is fast (typically 5–15 minutes) but thorough. You will be denied boarding at your origin airport if any of these are missing — airlines run document checks on behalf of Saudi authorities.

• Passport valid for at least 6 months from your date of entry, with at least 2 blank pages.
• Printed eVisa PDF (or screenshot in Nusuk) — even though it is digital, border staff still ask for a paper copy at some smaller airports.
• Yellow vaccination card (the WHO International Certificate of Vaccination) showing ACWY plus any other required vaccines.
• Confirmed return or onward flight ticket — one-way entry is not permitted on tourist or Umrah visas.
• Confirmed hotel booking in Makkah and Madinah for the duration of your stay. If staying with family, an attested invitation letter.
• Proof of funds — a recent bank statement is rarely asked for but should be available. Cash equivalent to roughly USD 100/day is the unwritten minimum.
• Nusuk app installed with your visa already linked — staff at some airports now check this before stamping you in.

Cost breakdown — what an Umrah trip actually costs in 2026

These are typical 2026 prices for a 10-day Umrah from the UK; adjust ±30% for other regions. Costs are highest in Ramadan and lowest in the cool months (Oct–Feb, excluding school holidays).

• Visa: tourist eVisa SAR 535 (~£115 / USD 145), bundled with mandatory health insurance.
• Flights London → Jeddah return: £450–£900 economy depending on season.
• Hotel in Makkah (3-star, 5-min walk to Haram): £80–£150 per room per night.
• Hotel in Madinah (3-star, central): £60–£110 per room per night.
• Meningitis ACWY vaccine: £55–£80 in the UK (some pharmacies bundle it with travel insurance).
• Transport Jeddah → Makkah → Madinah → Jeddah: SAR 80 (~£17) per leg by Haramain High Speed Rail, ~£40 by private taxi.
• Total budget for a couple, 10 days, non-Ramadan: roughly £2,400–£3,800 inclusive of meals.
• Ramadan and Dhul-Hijjah premiums: expect hotels to triple in price; flights typically 50–80% higher.

Avoiding visa scams and unofficial agents

There has been a sharp rise in fake Umrah visa websites since 2022, especially targeting Urdu, Bengali, Turkish and English-speaking pilgrims through social-media ads. Apply through official Saudi portals (e.g. the Nusuk platform, visa.mofa.gov.sa, visitsaudi.com) or licensed Umrah providers; verify that a site is genuine rather than relying on its domain suffix alone.

• visa.visitsaudi.com — the official tourist eVisa portal. Verify the site through official Saudi sources; a domain suffix alone does not establish authenticity.
• A licensed Mu‘assasah / Umrah agent registered with your country’s Saudi embassy. The list of licensed UK agents, for example, is at the Saudi Embassy in London website.
• Red flags: prices significantly below SAR 535, payment to personal bank accounts, agents who ask you to email a passport scan to a Gmail/Hotmail address, websites that cannot be verified through official Saudi sources, even if their URL contains “saudi” or “umrah”.
• If you have been scammed, report immediately to the Saudi Anti-Fraud Hotline +966 19993 and the Ministry of Tourism at tourism.gov.sa/contact.

Special situations

Some categories of pilgrim need extra paperwork or have special permissions.

• Pilgrims under 18: must travel with a parent or legal guardian who is listed on the visa application. A father’s passport copy is enough; if travelling with the mother only, some embassies request a no-objection letter from the father (varies by country).
• Pregnant women: permitted up to 28 weeks. Beyond 28 weeks, airlines (not Saudi authorities) usually refuse boarding. Carry a doctor’s fit-to-fly letter dated within 7 days of departure.
• Pilgrims with disabilities: book the Haram’s wheelchair Tawaf and Sa‘i service through Nusuk — paid (SAR 200) and unpaid (free) volunteer options exist. Electric scooters are permitted in the upper Tawaf level only.
• Israeli passport holders: still not eligible. Pilgrims of Palestinian or Arab descent with an Israeli travel document must apply through the Jordanian Hajj & Umrah authority instead.
• Converts to Islam: bring a shahādah certificate from a recognised Islamic centre. The eVisa portal does not ask for proof of religion, but at the border, dedicated-Umrah-visa holders may be questioned.

After arrival — using Nusuk inside the Haram

Once you land, Nusuk becomes your everyday companion. Most pilgrims keep it open during prayer windows to confirm prayer times by gate, locate the nearest Zamzam tap, and re-book a Rawdah slot if cancellations open up.

Battery management matters. A typical pilgrim drains the phone twice a day inside the Haram (constant GPS, Quran apps, photos). Carry a 10,000 mAh power bank and download the Nusuk offline navigator at your hotel before each visit — gate signal is often weak.

If you lose your phone, your permits are still valid: visit any Nusuk help kiosk inside the Haram with your passport, and they will print a temporary paper permit.

Related FAQs

• Umrah preparation FAQs
• Ihram and Miqat FAQs
• Women’s Umrah FAQs
• Ziyarah of Madinah FAQs

Sources & further reading

• Saudi Ministry of Hajj & Umrah — Nusuk
• Saudi Tourist eVisa portal
• Saudi Ministry of Health — Umrah health requirements
• World Health Organization — meningococcal vaccination

Where scholars differ, we follow the majority position and note significant differences. Always consult a qualified local scholar for personal rulings.