You may not need an Umrah visa
Umrah can now be performed on a Saudi tourist eVisa or on an Electronic Travel Authorisation. This changed relatively recently and a great deal of advice online has not caught up, including advice published by travel agents.
A dedicated Umrah visa still exists and is still arranged by agents as part of a package. Which route suits you depends mostly on whether you expect to return within a year or two.
The three routes compared
- Tourist eVisa — valid 365 days from issue, allowing 90 days in the Kingdom in total across that year. Multiple entries. Includes health insurance cover up to SAR 100,000. Applied for online or on arrival.
- Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) — valid 730 days, allowing 180 days in total. Multiple entries. The longest-running of the three, and worth it if you intend to return.
- Umrah visa — issued for the pilgrimage, now also available in a multiple-entry form. Arranged by your agent as part of the package.
What none of them cover
None of the three permits Hajj. Hajj requires its own visa under a separate quota system and cannot be arranged at short notice. If Hajj is your intention, start the conversation a year ahead.
You will also need a Nusuk permit to enter Masjid al-Haram. That is separate from the visa, tied to a booked service, and issued through the Saudi Nusuk platform. Any competent operator issues it for you before departure.
What it costs
We do not publish a visa fee, and you should treat any site that does with some care. Saudi visa fees have changed several times and a figure written a year ago is probably wrong now.
Visa processing is included in the price of every package we sell, and the current fee is confirmed in writing with your quote. If you are applying independently, the official Saudi portal shows the fee at the point of application.
The two things that catch people out
- Passport validity is measured from your arrival date, not your booking date. You need at least six months remaining on the day you land. This is the most common reason a pilgrim is turned away at check-in.
- The MenACWY meningitis vaccination is mandatory for every Umrah pilgrim aged one and over, and must be given at least ten days before you arrive for the certificate to be accepted. Book it early — a vaccination the week before departure is too late.
Which route should you actually choose?
For most first-time UK pilgrims travelling once, the tourist eVisa is the simplest route. It is applied for online, it is quick, it includes health insurance cover, and it permits tourism elsewhere in the Kingdom — so you can add a few days in Jeddah or AlUla without a second application.
If you expect to return within two years, the ETA is better value in time rather than money: 730 days of validity and 180 cumulative days in the Kingdom, against 365 and 90. Pilgrims who go most years, or who have family in Saudi Arabia, generally find it the less troublesome option.
The dedicated Umrah visa remains worth taking when it comes as part of a package, simply because somebody else deals with it. If you are booking a package anyway, the visa question largely answers itself.
What the Nusuk permit is, and why it is separate
This is the part that surprises people who last performed Umrah some years ago. Entry to Masjid al-Haram now requires a digital permit — a tasreeh — issued through the Saudi Nusuk platform and tied to a booked service. It is not the same thing as your visa, and having a valid visa does not by itself admit you to the Haram.
The same platform handles Rawdah slots in Madinah, which are allocated by time and go quickly. Book that as soon as your dates are fixed rather than on arrival.
Applying independently: what you will need
- A passport with at least six months validity from your arrival date
- A recent passport-style photograph meeting the portal specification
- Proof of MenACWY vaccination, administered at least ten days before arrival
- A confirmed return flight and accommodation booking
- A payment card for the fee, which is shown at the point of application
Applications are generally processed quickly, but leave a fortnight rather than a weekend. If you have previously been refused entry to Saudi Arabia, or your passport shows an unusual travel history, allow considerably longer and take advice first.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the stay limit is per visit. It is cumulative — two trips in a year draw on the same 90 or 180 days.
- Measuring passport validity from the booking date rather than the arrival date.
- Booking the MenACWY vaccination inside ten days of departure, which invalidates the certificate.
- Assuming a tourist visa covers Hajj. It does not, and neither does the ETA or the Umrah visa.
- Relying on advice written before the rules changed — including advice on travel agents’ own websites.