Prices and rules on this page last verified: 22 August 2026
Short answer: almost certainly not. Since October 2025 there is no separate Umrah visa you must obtain. If you hold any valid Saudi visa — including the ordinary tourist eVisa that British, American and Canadian passport holders can get online — you may perform Umrah. What you do still need is a free Nusuk permit, and that is the part that catches self-bookers out.
This page is about what the rules actually say, sourced to Saudi government announcements rather than to travel agencies. Several of the things you will read elsewhere — including on the first page of Google — have been wrong for years.
What actually changed in October 2025
On 5 October 2025 the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah confirmed that holders of all types of visas may perform Umrah while in the Kingdom (Saudi Press Agency). The visa types named in the ministry statement include personal and family visit visas, transit and stopover visas, work visas and the tourist eVisa (Arab News, 6 October 2025).
That is a bigger change than it sounds, and it is routinely misreported. You will see the October 2025 reform described as something that applies to holders of US, UK or Schengen visas across 66 countries. That description merges three unrelated policies. The October 2025 rule is not limited by nationality or visa class at all. The US/UK/Schengen route is a separate scheme from June 2023. The 66 countries is the eVisa eligibility list, which is older still.
One caveat we will not paper over. Neither the ministry statement nor the Arab News report addresses whether this applies during Hajj season. A Hajj-season restriction is explicit for the newer dedicated Umrah visa (below), and a 2023 tourism announcement carried a similar caveat. We have not found a source confirming “any visa, any time of year”, so do not treat Hajj season as settled.
The thing that actually stops people: the Nusuk permit
A visa gets you into Saudi Arabia. A permit gets you into the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. They are two different things, issued by two different processes, and confusing them is the single most common self-booker mistake.
Nusuk is the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s official platform (nusuk.sa, umrah.nusuk.sa). It issues permits for entry to the Two Holy Mosques subject to capacity (SPA, 27 January 2025).
The Umrah permit and the Rawdah permit are both free. Any site charging you a “booking fee” for either is selling you something Saudi Arabia gives away. The Rawdah permit is listed as free with immediate processing on the government services portal (my.gov.sa).
On the Rawdah specifically: the official announcement states that instant booking “allows multiple visits to Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah throughout the year”, subject to proximity and capacity. This contradicts the near-universal claim that you may visit only once every 365 days. There is also a waitlist that notifies you when a slot frees.
We could not establish how far in advance permit slots open. Nusuk’s own FAQ pages render client-side and return only support contact details. If you need a firm answer before booking flights, Nusuk support is on +966 9200 31201.
Which route applies to you
| Your situation | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UK, US, Canadian, Australian, EU and 60+ other nationalities | Tourist eVisa — apply at visa.visitsaudi.com | 1 year validity, multiple entry, 90 days total stay. Umrah explicitly permitted; Hajj is not. Includes health cover up to SAR 100,000. |
| Same nationalities, arriving without a visa | Visa on arrival at international airports, for a fee | Confirmed by the US State Department and Global Affairs Canada. |
| UK passport holders, from 1 July 2026 | Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) | New this year. 180 days total stay. See the disagreement below. |
| Not on the eVisa list, but holding a used US/UK/Schengen tourist or business visa | Streamlined entry / visa on arrival | From a June 2023 scheme. The visa must have been used at least once to enter the issuing country — an unused visa does not qualify. |
| Anyone wanting repeat visits | One-year multiple-entry Umrah visa, via Nusuk | Announced 20 July 2026. Requires buying a service package from an approved provider. |
Two 2026 changes almost nobody has written about
The UK ETA, live since 1 July 2026
Saudi Arabia introduced an Electronic Travel Authorisation for all UK passport holders, announced 25 June 2026 (SPA). Multiple entry, up to 180 days stay.
Official sources disagree on whether the ETA covers Umrah, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. The Saudi announcement lists it as covering tourism, short-term study and business, and does not mention Umrah either way. The UK Foreign Office explicitly lists Umrah (outside Hajj) as a permitted purpose. The two sources also give different validity periods — FCDO says 730 days, the Saudi announcement implies one year. Under the October 2025 rule an ETA holder lawfully in the country should be able to perform Umrah, and the FCDO says so directly. If your trip depends on it, ask the Saudi embassy in London and get it in writing.
The one-year multiple-entry Umrah visa
Announced 20 July 2026 (SPA). Valid 365 days from issue with 90 days cumulative stay. Applied for through Nusuk, and it requires purchasing a service package from an approved provider — so it is not a pure self-service route.
Two details worth knowing: an Umrah permit through the Nusuk app is required before arrival, for each visit; and the visa is deactivated after each departure and reactivated once requirements are met again. It is not activated during Hajj season, 1 Dhul-Qi‘dah to 13 Dhul-Hijjah. Eligibility by nationality and the cost were not stated in the announcement.
Women travelling without a mahram
No mahram is required, at any age. The Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, stated this at a press conference in Cairo in October 2022: a mahram “is no longer required to accompany a woman pilgrim” for Hajj or Umrah (Saudi Gazette, Arab News). Global Affairs Canada restated it in August 2026: “Women no longer need male guardian permission or notarized letters for Hajj or Umrah travel” (source).
The rule people still quote — women under 45 needing a mahram, women 45 and over needing to travel in an organised women’s group — was a March 2022 policy. It was superseded about six months later. It is now roughly four years out of date and it is still being published as current by agencies and travel blogs.
For completeness: the ministerial announcement framed this with reference to travelling in trustworthy company, citing Maliki and Shafi‘i positions. That is scholarly context in the announcement, not a visa condition you will be asked to evidence. We are neither adding it as a requirement nor pretending it was not said.
Vaccinations — and the ten-day trap
The Saudi Ministry of Health publishes the requirements for each Umrah season. The current document is Health Requirements for Travellers to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, 1447H.
| Vaccine | Requirement | The detail that matters |
|---|---|---|
| Meningococcal ACWY | Mandatory for every Umrah pilgrim, from every country | Conjugate vaccine within the last 5 years, or polysaccharide within 3 years — and in both cases at least 10 days before you arrive. Conjugate ACWY is the standard product in the UK, US and Canada, so the 5-year window applies to most readers. |
| Polio | Country-dependent | Does not apply to UK, US or Canadian travellers departing from home. It does apply if you are travelling from, or resident in, one of the listed countries — relevant to some dual nationals. |
| Yellow fever | Required from 28 African and 12 South American countries | Certificate valid for life, from 10 days after vaccination. |
| COVID-19 | Not universal, but not abolished either | A conditional requirement survives for people aged 65 and over, pregnant women, and those with chronic conditions. Most articles say all COVID rules are gone. That is wrong. |
| Seasonal influenza | Recommended, not mandatory | 2025–26 formulation. |
The ten-day rule is the one that ruins trips. Booking your meningitis jab the week you fly does not satisfy the requirement. Work backwards from your departure date and add a fortnight of margin.
Passport and entry
- Six months’ validity beyond your date of arrival. Confirmed by the UK, US and Canadian governments.
- Two blank pages. Stated by the US State Department; not mentioned by the FCDO.
- Israel travel history matters. The FCDO warns you may be refused entry if your passport shows travel to, or birth in, Israel. Global Affairs Canada additionally reports Canadians refused over Egyptian and Jordanian stamps that indicate Israel travel.
- Overstaying starts at SAR 100 per day, with possible detention, deportation and exit bans.
- Onward ticket: we found no official source requiring one, so we are not going to tell you that you need it.
If you are planning Ramadan 2027, there is a hard deadline
The Umrah season 1448 AH calendar was announced on 17 May 2026 (SPA). Ramadan 1448 runs roughly 8 February to 9 March 2027, which places it right at the end of the season window.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Visa issuance began | 31 May 2026 |
| Pilgrim entry and Nusuk permits began | 1 June 2026 |
| Last date an Umrah visa can be issued | 9 March 2027 |
| Final entry date | 23 March 2027 |
| Final departure date | 7 April 2027 |
Read those dates carefully. The visa issuance cut-off falls during Ramadan, and the final entry date is days after Eid. If you are planning late-Ramadan or Eid Umrah in 2027 on a dedicated Umrah visa, you are working to a real deadline. Note that these dates govern the Umrah visa season, not the tourist eVisa.
What the agency blogs get wrong
| Common claim | What the official sources say |
|---|---|
| Women under 45 need a mahram, or must join a women’s group | Removed in October 2022. Restated as removed by Global Affairs Canada in August 2026. |
| The October 2025 reform was for US/UK/Schengen visa holders across 66 countries | It was for all visa types, regardless of nationality. Three separate policies have been merged into one claim. |
| You may enter the Rawdah only once every 365 days | The official announcement describes instant booking as allowing multiple visits throughout the year, subject to capacity. |
| All COVID-19 requirements have been abolished | A conditional requirement remains for over-65s, pregnant women and people with chronic conditions. |
| You need a separate Umrah visa | Since October 2025, any valid visa works. The permit is the real requirement. |
| The US/UK/Schengen route has no conditions | The visa must have been used at least once to enter the issuing country. |
What we could not verify
Being straight about the gaps is part of the point of this site.
- The eVisa fee. Saudi Arabia does not publish a standing fee schedule, and the old help-centre pages that carried a breakdown now redirect to an empty shell. Every itemised figure circulating online traces back to agency blogs. Check the total at checkout on the day you apply.
- Transit and stopover visa specifics. Cost, permitted stay and airline conditions. The airline sites block automated checking. The commonly quoted 96 hours is not something we have confirmed.
- How far ahead Nusuk permit slots open. No official figure is published.
- Whether the UK ETA covers Umrah. The FCDO says yes; the Saudi announcement is silent.
Primary sources
- Ministry of Hajj and Umrah — all visa types permit Umrah (5 October 2025)
- Electronic Travel Authorisation for UK citizens (25 June 2026)
- One-year multiple-entry Umrah visa (20 July 2026)
- Umrah season 1448 AH calendar (17 May 2026)
- Saudi eVisa portal · Nusuk
- Ministry of Health — Umrah health requirements 1447H
- UK FCDO · US State Department · Global Affairs Canada
Entry rules change. This page was last checked on the date shown at the top, and we recheck it monthly. If you find something out of date, tell us — corrections go to the front of the queue.