Quick answer: Pilgrims from the UK, US, Canada and Australia normally travel for Umrah on the Saudi tourist eVisa, applied for online through the official Visit Saudi portal, not through a separate embassy visa. The eVisa gets you into the country; a second step, registering on the Nusuk platform, is what actually lets you enter the Grand Mosque and book your rites. Rules, fees and the exact stay limits change, so check the official portal and the Nusuk app before you book flights or hotels.
Which Saudi visa lets you perform Umrah
The Umrah eVisa is the Saudi tourist eVisa used for Umrah outside the Hajj season, issued online through visa.visitsaudi.com. It is not a separate pilgrimage visa category. Tourists can perform Umrah on this visa, though it cannot be used for Hajj, which requires a separate Hajj visa.
If your nationality is not on the eVisa list and you do not hold a qualifying US, UK, or Schengen visa, you need to apply for a dedicated Umrah visa through the Nusuk Umrah platform or a Saudi Ministry-approved travel agent. UK, US, Canadian and Australian passport holders are not normally in that position, since all four nationalities sit on the eVisa-eligible list, but it is worth checking your own case on the portal, especially if you are a dual national or hold residency rather than citizenship.
Who can use the eVisa: eligibility for the four countries
Several independent listings of the eVisa-eligible countries place the United States and Canada together under the Americas group and Australia under the Asia-Pacific group, alongside long-standing entries such as the United Kingdom. One current table lists Canada and the United States under Americas, and Australia under Asia-Pacific, among the nationalities eligible for the Saudi eVisa. British passport holders can apply for the Saudi tourist eVisa at visa.visitsaudi.com, which permits Umrah outside Hajj season.
These lists are compiled by travel sites, not the Saudi government itself, and the official eligible-countries list is the only one that counts. The Kingdom has added and removed nationalities before, so confirm your own passport is still listed on visa.visitsaudi.com before you commit to non-refundable travel.
| Passport | Usual route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Tourist eVisa | Widely reported as eVisa-eligible; confirm on the portal |
| United States | Tourist eVisa | Listed under the Americas eVisa group on current trackers |
| Canada | Tourist eVisa | Listed under the Americas eVisa group on current trackers |
| Australia | Tourist eVisa | Listed under the Asia-Pacific eVisa group on current trackers |
What the eVisa allows, and what it does not
The eVisa is valid for one year from issuance, permits multiple entries, and allows a stay of up to 90 days per visit; it does not cover Hajj, paid work or long-term residence, though Saudi authorities have said holders of any valid Saudi visa, tourist, work, family visit, personal visit or transit, may perform Umrah while in the Kingdom outside Hajj season.
Not every source describes the 90-day limit the same way. Some describe it as up to 90 days on each individual visit, others describe a 1-year multiple-entry visa with a total stay across all visits capped at 90 days, calculated cumulatively rather than per trip. Treat this as a point to verify directly on the portal for your own travel dates rather than assuming either version.
One rule that is consistent: the visa pauses during the Hajj season itself. The visa automatically pauses during the Hajj season, from 1 Dhu al-Qi’dah through 13 Dhu al-Hijjah, and cannot be used during this period. You can check where those dates fall this year on the Hajj dates page or the Hijri converter.
Document checklist before you apply
Requirements are set by the Saudi government and can change without much notice. The list below reflects what applicants are currently asked for.
| Document | Typical requirement | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Passport | Valid for at least 6 months beyond your planned date of entry | Shorter validity can mean refusal at check-in |
| Digital photo | Recent, white background, biometric-style | Uploaded with the online form |
| Meningitis ACWY certificate | Dated at least 10 days before arrival | Checked on arrival; see health section below |
| Accommodation and transport | Confirmed Nusuk-linked booking reference | Needed to issue your Umrah permit, not just the visa |
| Return or onward flight | Confirmed booking | Requested as part of proof of Nusuk bookings, confirmed hotel accommodation and licensed transport, return flight tickets, and travel insurance covering Saudi Arabia |
| Travel insurance | Covers medical emergencies in Saudi Arabia | Some eVisa routes bundle basic cover; check what yours includes |
Step by step: applying and arriving
| Step | What you do | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check passport validity and gather photo, flight and accommodation details | At home |
| 2 | Apply for the Saudi tourist eVisa, selecting Umrah as your purpose of visit | visa.visitsaudi.com |
| 3 | Pay the visa fee by card and wait for approval by email | Online |
| 4 | Get the meningitis ACWY vaccine at least 10 days before departure | GP, pharmacist or travel clinic |
| 5 | Download the Nusuk app, link your visa, and book your Umrah permit plus hotel and transport reference | Nusuk app or nusuk.sa |
| 6 | If visiting Madinah, reserve a Rawdah time slot | Nusuk app |
| 7 | Travel with passport, eVisa, vaccine certificate and Nusuk permit accessible on your phone or printed | Airport and Saudi border |
Keep a copy of everything offline too. Airport wifi and roaming are not guaranteed the moment you land.
Nusuk: the platform that turns a visa into permission to pray
Nusuk Umrah is a digital service for international pilgrims, introduced in August 2025, that lets users outside Saudi Arabia request Umrah visas and arrange pilgrimage-related services, including visa processing, accommodation, transport, cultural tours and other support, through one platform rather than a separate intermediary.
Holding a valid eVisa is not the same as having permission to enter the Grand Mosque. Several current guides describe Nusuk registration as a separate, mandatory step that issues your Umrah permit once your hotel and transport bookings are confirmed on the platform. Because this part of the system has changed more than once in the past two years, treat the Nusuk app, not a blog post, as the source of truth for what your specific visa type requires before you travel.
Health rules: the meningitis vaccine and other jabs
This section reflects official health-authority guidance, not site opinion. Saudi Arabia requires that all travellers aged one year and older arriving for Hajj or Umrah show proof that they have received a quadrivalent (ACWY) meningococcal vaccine in the last 3 to 5 years, depending on the type of vaccine, and at least 10 days prior to the planned travel.
The certificate is accepted for up to 3 years if it is the polysaccharide vaccine, or up to 5 years if it is the conjugate vaccine, and in either case it must be dated no less than 10 days before arrival in the Kingdom. As part of the Hajj and Umrah visa application process, Saudi authorities have also required proof of vaccination against COVID-19 and meningococcal disease for all pilgrims, polio for pilgrims coming from countries where the disease is reported, and yellow fever for pilgrims arriving from yellow fever-endemic countries. Requirements for COVID-19, polio and yellow fever depend on your travel history and country of departure, so check the current list on the Saudi Ministry of Health’s own page or with a UK, US, Canadian or Australian travel health clinic before you book your jab.
Entering ihram: what the four schools say
Ihram is the state a pilgrim enters before Umrah, marked by specific clothing, an intention, and restrictions that last until the rites are complete. The four Sunni schools agree on the basic shape of ihram but differ on some of its details, including whether intention alone is enough and whether reciting the talbiyah out loud is obligatory.
| School | Is intention alone enough to begin ihram? | Is reciting the talbiyah obligatory? | Most virtuous point to begin ihram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanafi | No; according to the Hanafi school ihram is not considered to commence solely with intention unless it is accompanied by the utterance of the talbiyah. | Yes, obligatory. | Starting the Hajj journey from one’s own town, according to Abu Hanifah. |
| Maliki | Not addressed separately in this source | Yes, obligatory. | Before reaching the miqat, which Malik held to be more meritorious. |
| Shafi’i | Yes; the Shafi’i school holds that ihram is assumed merely by intention. | Two opinions are recorded from al-Shafi’i, with no single preference. | Two views recorded, no single preference |
| Hanbali | Yes; the Hanbali school holds that ihram is assumed merely by intention. | Not obligatory, recommended | Before reaching the miqat, which Ibn Hanbal also held to be more meritorious. |
On the garments themselves, men’s ihram consists of two usually white, clean, seamless pieces of cloth: a waist-wrap called the izar and a shoulder-cloth called the rida. The Hanafi school also stipulates that the top of the foot should remain exposed by the footwear worn in ihram. Women wear ordinary modest clothing and are not required to cover the face or hands, though practice on this point varies by school and by individual scholarly opinion, so it is worth asking a teacher from your own school if you are unsure.
الْعُمْرَةُ إِلَى الْعُمْرَةِ كَفَّارَةٌ لِمَا بَيْنَهُمَا، وَالْحَجُّ الْمَبْرُورُ لَيْسَ لَهُ جَزَاءٌ إِلاَّ الْجَنَّةُ
Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "(The performance of) `Umra is an expiation for the sins committed (between it and the previous one). And the reward of Hajj Mabrur (the one accepted by Allah) is nothing except Paradise
Scholars across the schools point to this kind of report to explain why many Muslims choose to perform more than one Umrah in a lifetime when they are able to.
Before you book: what to check and where
Three things are worth confirming directly on official pages before you pay for anything non-refundable: that your passport nationality is still on the current eVisa list, that your passport will have at least six months of validity on your travel date, and that your Nusuk booking reference is confirmed before you rely on it for your Umrah permit. None of these take long to check, and all three have changed before without much warning.
A printable copy of your document checklist is worth keeping with your travel folder. You can find a general pilgrimage planning checklist on the site’s downloads page, alongside other printable planners.
As with any matter of worship or travel for the pilgrimage, ask a qualified scholar from your own school about questions specific to your situation, particularly around ihram conditions, mahram requirements, or any health condition that might affect your vaccination schedule.
Sources
- Wego Travel Blog: Umrah eVisa 2026: Eligibility, Cost, Nusuk Rule and How to Apply
- Wikipedia: Nusuk
- Wise: Umrah Visa UK: Requirements and Application Guide
- Wego Travel Blog: UK Umrah Visa 2026: Requirements, Costs and How to Apply
- Al Zowar Travel: Saudi Umrah Visa 2026: New Rules, Validity and Requirements
- House of Saud: Saudi Arabia Visa Guide 2026
- CDC: Saudi Arabia Traveler View
- CDC Yellow Book: Saudi Arabia Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimages
- Meningitis Research Foundation: Vaccination for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims
- The Five Schools of Islamic Law: The Ihram
- Hajj Umrah Planner: Umrah Guide, Step by Step
This article explains what the four Sunni schools say and links its sources. It is not a fatwa. Entry rules, fees and dates change, so check the official pages before you book, and ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.