Umrah visa: tourist eVisa or a visa through Nusuk, which should you choose?

Two visas lead to Umrah

For a traveller coming from abroad, two visas lead to Umrah today. The first is the Saudi tourist eVisa, applied for online by the nationalities on its list and by certain residents. The second is the Umrah visa issued through Nusuk, the official Umrah platform, either directly or through a licensed provider. The table below sets out how they differ.

Swipe the table to see every column

Which one: three questions, in order

The right visa is not a matter of preference: it follows from your passport, then from where you live. Ask these three questions in order, for each traveller.

1. 1

   Is your nationality on the eVisa list?

   If so, the tourist eVisa is the most direct route. Our eligibility checker gives the answer for each nationality, with the official source and the date it was checked.

2. 2

   If not, does your residence make you eligible for the eVisa?

   Residents of a Gulf country, permanent residents of the United States, the United Kingdom or the European Union, and holders of a US, UK or Schengen visa already used can get the eVisa. Details in our guide eVisa through residence.

3. 3

   If not, the Umrah visa through Nusuk

   Travellers who fit none of these cases take the Umrah visa through Nusuk, on the Nusuk Umrah platform if their country is served, or through a licensed provider.

The tourist eVisa: simple, but not during the closure

The tourist eVisa is applied for online and arrives by email once approved. It is valid for one year, with multiple entries and stays of up to 90 days. Sources differ on whether that limit applies per stay or in total over the year, so check the wording printed on your visa.

For Umrah it has two advantages: you arrange your hotel and transport freely, and the same visa works for other trips during the year. Its limit is the calendar. During the seasonal closure period, entering and staying in Makkah is reserved for the visa specific to that period alone, and Umrah permits are not issued. Our guide Umrah on the tourist eVisa covers the conditions in detail.

• Passport valid for at least 6 months on entry.
• Application on the official eVisa portal, or through a service like ours that files it for you.
• Umrah permit to book in the Nusuk app once the visa is granted.

The Umrah visa through Nusuk: the route for other nationalities

Launched in August 2025, the Nusuk Umrah platform is a one-stop service supervised by the Saudi ministry in charge of Umrah. Visitors from the countries it serves can choose packages that may include the visa, flights, accommodation in Makkah and Madinah, transport between the cities and guidance, or book services separately. All its providers are licensed by the ministry.

The platform does not publish a list of the countries it serves: it refers to "the countries available for individual Umrah under the ministry's regulations". For other nationalities, the application goes through a licensed provider, who files the visa together with the traveller's bookings.

The dates matter as much as the visa

For the 1448 season, the ministry has set a precise calendar: Umrah visas issued and arrivals from 31 May 2026, Nusuk permits from 1 June 2026, last issuance on 9 March 2027, last entry on 23 March 2027 and last departure on 7 April 2027. These dates concern the Umrah visa; the seasonal closure period applies to every visa. The full detail is in our Umrah season 1448 calendar.

Families and groups with mixed nationalities

In one family or group, passports do not all share the same nationality. Each traveller follows their own route: one can leave on the eVisa while another waits for the Nusuk route. Minors normally follow the adult they are linked to, as explained in our guide Umrah with children.

For agencies, we check every passport as soon as the request is analysed and flag those that need a decision: see our guide filing Umrah visas for a group.

In every case: the Umrah permit in Nusuk

A visa alone is not enough to perform Umrah. Before going to the Haram, each traveller books an Umrah permit in the official Nusuk app, for a given date and time. Only one permit is active at a time; to change the time slot, you cancel before the scheduled time and book a new one. The steps are set out in our guide booking your Umrah permit in Nusuk.

What myumrahvisa does for you

Today we apply for the tourist eVisa on behalf of individuals and agencies: you send the passports, we review each file, enter the application on the official portal and hand you the visas. We also accept travellers who qualify through their residence, once they provide the document that proves it.

For agencies, we also enter the Umrah visa through Nusuk, on their own Nusuk account: see connect your Nusuk account. Individual travellers request it from their account, by filling in the request form: see the Umrah visa page. If no route applies to a traveller, we say so clearly and nothing is charged.