Saudi Arabia rolls out year-long Umrah visa with multiple entries

Each trip requires a fresh Nusuk service package and permit, and the visa goes dormant during Hajj season

Pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah now have access to a visa that covers an entire year and permits multiple entries, with total allowable stay set at 90 days across all trips combined. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah unveiled the new category on July 20, 2026, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Until this announcement, the only dedicated Umrah visa on offer was a single-entry document. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah tightened that visa's entry window from three months down to 30 days in late 2025, which meant any pilgrim who failed to land in the Kingdom within a month of receiving the visa would see it cancelled automatically. Returning for a second Umrah meant starting the entire application from scratch. The new year-long option eliminates that burden for anyone who expects to make more than one trip within 12 months.

The 90-day cap works as a shared pool, not a per-trip allowance. Every day a pilgrim spends on Saudi soil under this visa eats into a single running total. Someone who uses 25 days on a first visit has 65 days left for all remaining entries that year. The visa expires the moment either the 90-day allowance or the 365-day validity period runs out, whichever hits first.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah framed the new visa as part of its broader work under Saudi Vision 2030 and the Pilgrim Experience Program, describing its purpose as smoothing the arrival process, lifting the quality of services pilgrims receive, and tightening operational efficiency across the entire journey.

What do I need to arrange before each trip?

If you hold the new year-long Umrah visa, two steps must be completed on Saudi Arabia's Nusuk platform ahead of every entry. You are required to buy a service package offered by one of Nusuk's accredited providers, and the length of that package has to fit within whatever validity the visa still carries; a booking that extends past the visa's expiry date will not go through. You also need to secure your Umrah permit inside the Nusuk app before boarding your flight.

After each time the holder leaves Saudi Arabia, the visa switches to an inactive state. It only becomes usable again once the pilgrim satisfies the entry requirements for a fresh trip, which means going through the Nusuk package and permit process from the beginning. Simply holding the visa does not guarantee re-entry on its own.

Can I travel to Saudi Arabia on this visa during Hajj?

If your intended dates fall within the Hajj period, this visa will not get you through the gate. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah confirmed that it goes dormant every year from the 1st of Dhu Al-Qadah through the 13th of Dhu Al-Hijjah, and no entries can be processed under it during that window. The restriction mirrors the Kingdom's longstanding practice of pausing all Umrah operations so that infrastructure and security resources can be channeled entirely toward Hajj.

Anyone planning a trip close to that period should check the corresponding Gregorian dates for the current Islamic year well in advance, since the blackout shifts by roughly 10 to 11 days each year on the Western calendar.

Is the single-entry Umrah visa still available?

If you only expect to perform Umrah once, the original single-entry route has not gone anywhere. That visa must be used within 30 days of issuance and allows a stay of up to 90 days after the pilgrim clears Saudi immigration. The new year-long option exists alongside it as a second pathway, built specifically for those who want the flexibility to return without reapplying each time.