Why it is required
Saudi Arabia requires visitors to hold health insurance, and the tourist eVisa includes cover up to SAR 100,000 as standard. That is a floor, not a policy — it does not cover cancellation, curtailment, baggage, or repatriation.
We ask every pilgrim to hold a policy before departure. You are welcome to arrange your own; we can also arrange one for you.
What a policy should cover
For Umrah specifically, these are the clauses worth reading rather than skimming:
- Medical treatment and repatriation in Saudi Arabia — check the limit, not just that it exists
- Cancellation and curtailment, including for illness in the family
- Pre-existing medical conditions, declared. An undeclared condition is the most common reason a claim fails
- Baggage and personal items, with a single-item limit that covers what you are actually carrying
- Cover for the full duration, including the day you fly out and the day you return
The exclusions that catch people
Age limits are the first: many standard policies reduce cover or decline entirely above a certain age, which matters when a third of Umrah travellers are travelling with elderly parents. Declare ages honestly at the quote stage.
The second is the pilgrimage itself. A small number of policies exclude religious travel or mass-gathering events. Read the definitions, and if it is unclear, ask the insurer in writing rather than assuming.
If you buy your own
Send us the policy number and the insurer before you travel. Not as paperwork — if something happens on the ground, the group leader needs to know who to call, and finding that out during an emergency is not the moment.