Umrah FAQs: Answers to All Your Pilgrimage Questions

Yes, you can perform Umrah on a Saudi Tourist e-Visa in 2026. Since 2021, the Saudi government has permitted Umrah as an activity within the scope of the multi-entry tourist visa, provided you register for a permit through the Nusuk App after arrival. You do not need a separate dedicated Umrah visa to perform the rituals, though a dedicated Umrah visa remains an option if applying through an authorised agent.
The Tourist e-Visa offers one-year validity with multiple entries and up to 90 days per stay. The dedicated Umrah visa is valid for 90 days from issuance with a single-entry allowance and a 30-day maximum stay from entry.

There is no minimum or maximum age for Umrah. Infants may accompany their parents and the pilgrimage is valid for children of any age, though it does not fulfil the obligatory Umrah of adulthood.
For the Nusuk App permit, children aged 5 and over require their own individual account and permit — including for Rawdah access in Madinah. Children under 5 can accompany a parent without a separate permit, though adding them to the lead registrant's profile is recommended. Nusuk App policies update regularly; confirm the current requirements at nusuk.sa before travel.

On a dedicated Umrah visa, you may remain in Saudi Arabia for up to 30 days from your entry date, regardless of the visa’s original 90-day issuance window. On a Tourist e-Visa, you may stay for up to 90 days per entry. In both cases, the clock starts from the date stamped in your passport at the border, not from the visa issue date. Overstaying carries a fine of SAR 500–1,000 per day.

There is no minimum age – Umrah permits are issued for all ages including newborns. Children are registered under the lead guardian’s Nusuk account using the child’s passport details. The lead adult is responsible for accompanying children throughout the rituals.

Yes, health insurance is a mandatory component of the Saudi Tourist e-Visa application. A Saudi-approved health insurance policy is automatically added during the online application process on visa.visitsaudi.com and its cost is included in the total visa fee. Pilgrims travelling on a dedicated Umrah visa arranged through an authorised agent should confirm insurance provision is included in their package.

You can visit the Rawdah as many times as available permits allow during your stay in Madinah. There is no official cap on the number of visits per trip, but permits are highly competitive and availability is limited to timed entry slots booked through the Nusuk App. Each permit covers one entry slot of approximately 15–30 minutes. Book additional slots as soon as your Madinah dates are confirmed – slots for popular timings can fill within minutes of opening. For a full guide to booking your permit and troubleshooting, see our Rawdah Permits Guide.

Yes, on a Tourist e-Visa, travel throughout Saudi Arabia including Jeddah, Riyadh and the Red Sea coast is fully permitted. On a dedicated Umrah visa, movement is generally expected to be limited to the Holy Cities (Makkah, Madinah, and Jeddah as the gateway city), though restrictions have eased in recent years.

Yes. The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has removed the Mahram requirement for women of all ages who wish to perform Umrah independently. Women aged 18 and over may apply for a visa and travel to Saudi Arabia without a male guardian, either alone or as part of a group. This rule change has been in effect since 2021 and applies to both the Tourist e-Visa and dedicated Umrah visa routes.
A separate fiqh question about whether a woman is religiously permitted to travel without a Mahram remains a matter of scholarly difference – pilgrims are advised to consult a trusted scholar for a personal ruling based on their circumstances.

Women enter Ihram through intention (Niyyah) and are not required to wear a specific garment in the way men wear the two-piece white cloth. A woman in Ihram wears her normal modest clothing – loose, full coverage including wrists and feet, in any colour. The key Ihram-specific rules for women are: no face veil (Niqab) that is attached to the face or touches the skin, no gloves, no cutting of hair or nails, no use of scented products, and no sexual relations.

A woman exits the state of Ihram by cutting the length of one finger-joint (approximately 1,5–2 cm) from the tips of her hair – this is known as Taqsir. She cuts from all sections of the hair, not just a single strand. Unlike men, who may either shave the head completely or cut their hair, the recommended act for women is Taqsir; head shaving is not prescribed for women.

Yes. Women have designated access times and areas within the Rawdah al-Sharifah at Masjid an-Nabawi. Rawdah entry for women is allocated through timed slots on the Nusuk App, typically in the morning hours, separate from men’s entry windows. The women’s section of the Rawdah is located adjacent to the main Rawdah area and allows access to the space between the Prophet’s ﷺ grave and his pulpit.

If you genuinely lose count of the number of circuits completed during Tawaf, the majority scholarly opinion is that you should act on the lower number – the number you are certain of – and complete your Tawaf from that point. For example, if you are unsure whether you have completed four or five circuits, treat it as four and continue to seven.
If you are certain you completed the full seven circuits, your Tawaf is valid and no corrective action is needed. Anxiety about counting is common in crowded conditions; using a counter app or simply making a physical mark at the Yemeni Corner as a checkpoint helps maintain accuracy.

No - accidentally using a scented product during Ihram does not invalidate your Umrah, the pilgrimage remains valid. However, the majority of schools hold that even unintentional use requires expiation (fidyah). The ruling differs by school:
* Hanafi — minor accidental use (such as a single use of scented soap) requires Sadaqah. If a significant amount was applied, a Dam (sacrifice of a sheep) is due.
* Maliki — a Dam is required regardless of intention.
* Shafi'i — truly unintentional use is excused with no fidyah required, though giving voluntary charity is recommended as a precaution.
If you realise mid-pilgrimage, wash the scent off immediately with unscented water and consult a scholar regarding the applicable fidyah for your school.

Not always - this depends on your madhab (school of Islamic jurisprudence). In the Shafiʼi madhab, touching a non-Mahram of the opposite gender breaks Wudu. In the Hanafi madhab, mere skin contact does not break Wudu unless accompanied by desire. In crowded Haram conditions, Shafiʼi scholars have issued facilitated rulings acknowledging the difficulty, and many advise maintaining Wudu through avoidance of certainty rather than anxiety over incidental contact.

Yes. You do not need to be formally disabled or hold a medical certificate to rent an electric wheelchair for Umrah. Rental services are available to any pilgrim with knee, hip, or back pain, limited stamina, a recent surgery or injury, or elderly pilgrims who may find the distances challenging. Only a valid ID and payment are required. Visit assist.haramain.com to book in advance.

DIY Umrah for two people flying from the UK typically costs between £1,500 and £3,500 per person for a 10–14 day trip, depending on travel season, hotel proximity to the Haram, and flight choice. This includes return flights (£300–£800), accommodation (£60–£250 per night depending on grade and location), meals, local transport, and incidentals. Ramadan trips are significantly more expensive, often reaching £4,000–£6,000 per person.
Package Umrah from the UK (typically 10–14 nights, including flights, accommodation, ground transport, and visa assistance) ranges from approximately £1,800 to £5,000+ per person depending on hotel grade and season. The DIY route offers meaningfully greater flexibility, the ability to select your own hotel by proximity and amenity, and direct cost control – particularly for longer stays or off-peak travel.

Yes, Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted at hotels, restaurants, larger shops, and pharmacies throughout both cities. Contactless payment including Apple Pay and Google Pay is increasingly accepted at modern establishments. Smaller street vendors, date stalls, and traditional market traders typically operate in cash only. Carry SAR 300–500 in cash for incidental purchases, tips and emergencies. ATMs are available throughout both city centres and at all major hotels.

A reasonable daily meal budget for one person in Makkah or Madinah is SAR 60–120 (approximately £12–25) for three meals eating locally. A traditional Hijazi breakfast at a street canteen (ful, tamis bread, egg) costs 10–20 SAR. A generous mandi or kabsa lunch at a local restaurant runs 30–60 SAR. An evening meal with karak chai adds another 20–40 SAR. Hotel buffets and mall-based restaurants are typically two to three times more expensive than street-level local eateries.
Pilgrims staying in the Abraj Al-Bait zone (closest to the Haram in Makkah) will find higher prices at nearby outlets; the Misfalah and Aziziyah districts offer better value. In Madinah, the streets north and west of the Haram have a dense concentration of affordable local restaurants, particularly Yemeni mandi and Hijazi saleeg.

Currency exchange offices in the streets immediately adjacent to the Haram typically offer competitive rates due to the high volume of international visitors. In Makkah, exchange offices on Ajyad Street and in the Misfalah neighbourhood generally offer better rates than airport booths or hotel reception. In Madinah, exchange offices on King Faisal Road near the Haram gates are the most convenient. Airport exchange rates are consistently the least favourable; exchange only a small amount on arrival and exchange the bulk nearer the Haram.

Yes, you can bring Zamzam water home in your checked luggage. Saudi Arabia permits the export of Zamzam water for personal use, and most airlines permit liquids in checked baggage without issue. The practical limit is your airline’s checked baggage weight allowance – a five-litre container of Zamzam weighs approximately five kilograms, which counts against your allowance.

Zamzam water in containers larger than 100ml cannot be carried in hand luggage on international flights – this is standard aviation liquid security rule, not a Zamzam-specific restriction. It must be packed in your checked luggage in a sealed, leak-proof container. Some airlines operating from Saudi Arabia have historically provided Zamzam containers as part of their Umrah service; check your specific carrier. Containers of 100ml or under may be carried in the standard 1-litre clear bag in cabin baggage.

No booking is required to attend Jumu‘ah prayer at Masjid al-Haram or Masjid an-Nabawi – access is open to all pilgrims and worshippers. However, to secure a position inside the mosque for Friday prayer, you need to arrive significantly earlier than for a regular prayer: ideally two to three hours before the Adhan for Jumu‘ah, which is typically called around midday. By the time the Khutbah (sermon) begins, the mosque and its entire surrounding plaza and street network are full. Pilgrims arriving less than 30 minutes before the prayer will almost certainly pray outside in the surrounding streets.

Yes, complimentary Wi-Fi is available inside Masjid al-Haram and in the surrounding Haram complex. The network can be accessed by connecting to the ‘Haramain’ Wi-Fi and registering your mobile number. However, connectivity quality is variable and heavily congested during peak prayer times, particularly Fajr and Isha during Ramadan. For reliable data access – especially for checking Nusuk permits and navigating – a Saudi SIM card with a local data plan is strongly recommended rather than relying on Wi-Fi alone.

Al-Baqi‘ Cemetery (Jannat al-Baqi‘), located adjacent to Masjid an-Nabawi, has restricted visiting hours and is not open continuously. It is generally accessible for men after Fajr prayer and after Asr prayer for limited periods. Opening times can change during Ramadan and peak Umrah seasons. Visit in the early morning directly after Fajr for the best chance of entry without excessive queuing.

If you lose access to your Nusuk App account, use the ‘Forgot Password’ or ‘Forgot PIN’ function on the login screen, which sends a reset link or OTP to the registered mobile number or email address. If you no longer have access to the registered mobile number (for example, because your Saudi SIM was deactivated between trips), use the email recovery option. If both are inaccessible, contact Nusuk support through the official website (nusuk.sa) with your passport details – account ownership is verified against passport data.
Your Umrah permit is tied to your passport number, not your device or account session, so a temporary login failure does not invalidate an already-confirmed permit.

Yes. Both Masjid al-Haram and Masjid an-Nabawi operate round-the-clock medical facilities during the Umrah season, with first-aid stations staffed continuously throughout the Haram corridors. For full details on clinic locations, what each facility treats, and how to access help in an emergency, see the Health & Safety section of our Help & Support page.

The most effective method is to photograph your hotel’s exterior and note the nearest Haram gate number before leaving for the first time. Makkah’s hotel district is structured around the Haram gates – tell any taxi driver your gate number and hotel name, and they will know it. If you become completely disorientated, walk towards the Haram (the Clock Tower is visible from much of central Makkah) and use it as a navigation anchor. From any main Haram gate, ask staff or a hotel concierge to call your hotel and arrange a pickup.