Visas & permits
Visa and Nusuk permit, in the order they have to happen
Step one
Which visa route applies to you
Tourist eVisa
Most nationalities on the eligible list, travelling independently
- Turnaround
- Minutes to 72 hours
- Indicative cost
- ~SAR 535 including insurance
Multi-entry, one year validity, lets you do Umrah and tour the country on the same visa.
Not valid during the Hajj season. Your Umrah permit is still booked separately in Nusuk.
Umrah visa via a licensed operator
Group travellers, and nationalities outside the eVisa list
- Turnaround
- 1–3 weeks
- Indicative cost
- Bundled into the package
The operator carries the paperwork, and group permits and hotels are handled together.
Tied to that operator's itinerary and dates. You cannot rearrange it yourself.
GCC residents
Residents of GCC states
- Turnaround
- Days
- Indicative cost
- Lower
A simplified route exists for residents, often available online.
Conditions depend on your residency category, check before booking flights.
Transit visa
Flying Saudia or flynas with a stopover
- Turnaround
- At booking
- Indicative cost
- Free with an eligible ticket
Up to 96 hours, and Umrah is permitted on it. Genuinely useful for a short trip.
Must be issued with the ticket, and the routing has to qualify.
The sequence
Six steps, and they are not interchangeable
People routinely apply for the visa before checking the vaccination requirement, then discover the ten-day rule with a week to go.
- 01
Check your passport first
Six months of validity beyond your return date. Everything downstream carries the passport number, so a renewal mid-process means starting over.
- 02
Get the meningitis ACWY certificate
It is an entry requirement and must be given at least ten days before arrival. Some nationalities also need polio. Do this first. It gates the whole trip and clinics book out.
- 03
Apply for the visa
Pick the route above that fits you. Apply through the official portal or your licensed operator, never through a broker who contacts you first.
- 04
Create and verify your Nusuk account
Do this before you fly, not on arrival. Verification needs your passport and a selfie, and it occasionally takes more than a day to clear.
- 05
Book the Umrah permit
In Nusuk, for a specific date and time slot. Slots are released on a rolling basis and go quickly in Ramadan. One permit per Umrah, so a repeat visit needs a new one.
- 06
Book the Rawdah slot for Madinah
Separate booking, also in Nusuk, released roughly ten days ahead. Men and women have separate timings. Demand exceeds supply; nobody can guarantee you one.
Straight answers
Visa and permit questions
Can I do Umrah on a tourist visa?
Outside the Hajj season, yes. The visa gets you into the country and the Umrah permit, booked separately in Nusuk, gets you into the Haram for the ritual. Confirm the current position on Nusuk before you book flights, because this rule has changed more than once in recent years.
Do I need the permit if I only want to pray in the Haram?
Ordinary prayer in Masjid al-Haram does not require an Umrah permit outside peak periods. Performing Umrah does. During Ramadan, entry itself is often permit-controlled.
What if my Nusuk verification fails?
It is almost always a photo quality or passport-scan issue. Retry in daylight against a plain wall. If it keeps failing, the in-app support channel resolves it faster than email, and your operator can escalate.
Can an agent guarantee me a Rawdah slot?
No, and any agent who says otherwise is not being straight with you. Slots are released by Nusuk on a rolling window and demand routinely exceeds supply. What a good operator does is watch the release window and book the moment it opens.
Saudi entry and permit rules are set by the authorities and change without notice. This page is re-checked quarterly and carries the date it was last verified, but the official portals are always the final word, check them before you pay for anything.