Preparing your Umrah
Umrah visa requirements: the complete list of documents required for Umrah
In short
For Umrah you need a passport valid for at least six months, a recent photo, the meningitis vaccine received at least 10 days before arrival, and then an Umrah permit booked in the Nusuk app. On the tourist eVisa, add proof of residence if that is how you qualify. On the Umrah visa, add an accommodation and transport package.
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Two routes, two slightly different lists
The documents required for Umrah depend first on the visa. A traveller whose nationality is on the tourist eVisa list, or who qualifies through residence, travels on the eVisa. Everyone else goes through the Umrah visa, obtained on an approved platform such as Nusuk or from an approved provider in their own country. Our eligibility checker shows the route for each passport, and our guide eVisa or Umrah visa explains the choice.
The table brings together what each route asks for. Each document is explained below.
| Document | Tourist eVisa | Umrah visa |
|---|---|---|
| Passport valid for at least six months | Yes | Yes |
| Recent passport photo | Yes, submitted with the application | Yes; in some countries, face and fingerprints captured through the official app |
| Proof of residence | Only if you qualify for the eVisa through residence | Not required by the official FAQ |
| Accommodation and transport package | Not required | Mandatory according to the official FAQ |
| Meningitis vaccine | Yes for Umrah, at least 10 days before arrival | Yes, at least 10 days before arrival |
| Other vaccines (polio, yellow fever) | Depending on the country of departure | Depending on the country of departure |
| Umrah permit in Nusuk | Yes, booked after the visa | Yes, booked after the visa |
Passport and photo
Your passport must be valid for at least six months. Authorities count from different dates: the UK government asks for six months after arrival, the French foreign ministry six months after the end of your stay. Count from your return date and you meet both.
The official sources we checked do not set a number of blank pages. Keep a few free for stamps to be safe, and make sure the photo page is intact and easy to read.
A photo is needed for every traveller, children included. Its requirements (format, background, framing) are set by the portal: our tutorial preparing your Saudi visa photo goes through them one by one.
For the Umrah visa, the official FAQ also describes biometric registration in the official Saudi Visa Bio app: a scan of the passport, a photo of the face, then all ten fingerprints captured with the phone camera. It says this step has started for travellers arriving from the United Kingdom, Tunisia, Kuwait, Bangladesh and Malaysia.
Documents specific to each visa
On the tourist eVisa
If your nationality is on the list, the passport and photo are enough for the application. If you qualify through residence, add the document that proves it: a Gulf residence permit valid for at least three months, a US, UK or EU permanent residence card, or a US, UK or Schengen visa that has already been used, with its entry stamp. Details are in our guide eVisa through residence.
No hotel or transport booking is required: you arrange your stay yourself.
On the Umrah visa
You choose the package together with the visa, on the platform or with the provider. The official visa fees and the package price are added together and shown before you pay. According to the same FAQ, a visa obtained in one country lets you travel from another.
Vaccines: the document people forget
The visa application does not ask about it, but the vaccine is required on arrival. It applies to everyone coming for Umrah, whatever the visa.
The Saudi Ministry of Health's 1447 (2026) document asks travellers from 26 African countries for a certificate; the French foreign ministry says proof of vaccination is checked at the airport. Keep the certificate with your passport. Polio and yellow fever apply depending on where you travel from: the list is in our guide Umrah on the tourist eVisa.
Children and women: what changes
Each child needs their own passport, visa and vaccines. The official FAQ sets a minimum age of 5 for an Umrah visa or permit, in an answer written during the Covid period: check the rule in Nusuk when you book. Our guide Umrah with children covers minors in detail.
Women have no extra documents to provide. The official FAQ says a woman may come for Umrah without a mahram, and the visa follows the same conditions as for any traveller: see Umrah for women.
After the visa: the Nusuk permit
The visa gets you into the Kingdom; it is not enough for Umrah. Each traveller books a permit in the Nusuk app for a date and time slot. According to the official FAQ, registration asks for the passport number, visa number, date of birth, nationality, a phone number (a foreign number is accepted) and an email address, to which a verification code is sent. Only one permit can be active at a time. The screens are covered in booking your Umrah permit in Nusuk.
Checklist before you apply
Confirm the route
eVisa through nationality, eVisa through residence, or Umrah visa: one route per traveller.
Check the passport
At least six months' validity after your return date, a readable photo page, free pages.
Prepare the photo
A recent photo for each traveller, meeting the portal's requirements.
Gather proof of residence
Only for the eVisa through residence: residence permit, permanent residence card or a visa already used.
Choose the package
Only for the Umrah visa: accommodation and transport, chosen with the visa.
Get vaccinated
Meningitis at least 10 days before arrival and, depending on your country, polio or yellow fever; keep the certificate.
Book the permit
Once the visa arrives, in the Nusuk app, using the visa number.
What myumrahvisa does for you
We submit the tourist eVisa on behalf of individuals and travel agencies. Before submitting anything, we review every passport and photo, and check the proof of residence when the route requires it. If a document looks like a problem, we tell you before the application goes in.
If a traveller does not fit any open route, we say so plainly and nothing is charged. The decision to issue the visa stays with the Saudi authorities.
Frequently asked questions
What documents are required for Umrah?
A passport valid for at least six months, a recent photo, a visa (tourist eVisa or Umrah visa), a meningitis vaccination certificate and, once you have the visa, an Umrah permit booked in Nusuk. The Umrah visa also requires an accommodation and transport package.
Does my passport need six months' validity?
Yes. The UK government asks for six months after your arrival date; the French foreign ministry says six months after the end of your stay. Use the stricter rule and count six months from your return date.
Do I need a flight or hotel booking for the visa?
For the Umrah visa, yes: the official FAQ says it cannot be issued without an accommodation and transport package. For the tourist eVisa, the official sources we checked impose no booking.
Is the meningitis vaccine mandatory for Umrah?
Yes. The Saudi Ministry of Health requires it of everyone coming for Umrah, whatever their visa, at least 10 days before arrival. The certificate must show the vaccine name and date.
Do women need any extra documents?
No. According to the official FAQ, a woman may come for Umrah without a mahram, and she meets the same visa conditions as any other traveller.
Is the Nusuk permit applied for with the visa?
No. You book it afterwards in the Nusuk app, using your visa number. It is required to perform Umrah at the Haram, whatever your visa.
Sources
Rules change: these are the sources this guide relies on, with the date we consulted them.