Saudi Arabia introduced a one-year visa allowing repeat Umrah visits for Afghan travelers in late July 2026, opening a new route for pilgrims who book through approved agents. Eligible visitors can return during the visa’s validity rather than make a single pilgrimage.
The previous permit generally allowed one entry and lasted 90 days. The new arrangement also gives Afghan travel companies room to sell repeat trips and organize family or group packages.
Access to the pilgrimage has not always been straightforward. Afghan applicants have faced limited diplomatic services, difficult logistics and visa delays that sometimes kept prospective pilgrims waiting months or years. Kabul agencies say bookings have climbed since the new rules took effect.
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Gul Marjan Hakimi, 50, traveled with his wife and described the process as “smooth.”
“The visa is for a full year, so we can go again, if God gives us the chance.”
Licensed companies can now sell repeat trips without the old quotas
The revised arrangement has also broadened opportunities for Afghan tour operators. Agency-specific restrictions or quotas under the earlier system have been opened to all licensed travel companies, giving more businesses a chance to arrange pilgrimages.
Wahid Zazai, manager of King Global Travel and Tourism in Kabul, said the company organizes small family packages as well as group trips involving dozens of travelers. Operators can combine flights, accommodation, ground transport and visa processing into a single offer.
That opens more than one kind of business. Companies can serve families planning a first pilgrimage, groups traveling together and customers hoping to return during the visa’s validity. Zazai said young Afghan couples are also booking Umrah trips and exchanging vows at Masjid al-Haram.
Those trips offer an alternative to traditional wedding celebrations in Afghanistan. The packages can cost about half as much as a conventional wedding in Kabul, Zazai said. The new visa gives agencies another product to pair with those travel arrangements.
Afghan applicants still need a package and health documents
The new visa does not put Afghan passport holders into Saudi Arabia’s standard tourist eVisa channel. Afghanistan is not generally among the nationalities eligible for that system, and Afghan citizens typically apply through the Saudi diplomatic mission or a licensed Umrah operator.
Applicants should prepare the package and supporting documents before travel. The listed requirements include:
- A passport valid for at least six months and a recent passport photograph.
- Confirmed flights, accommodation and transport arranged as part of an approved Umrah package.
- Required health insurance and a meningococcal ACWY vaccination certificate.
- A polio vaccination certificate, required because Afghanistan remains classified among countries for which Saudi authorities require polio documentation.
The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is expanding access through approved online travel platforms and digital services. The agent route remains in place for travelers whose nationalities require it.
Older Afghans account for much of the increased demand reported by agencies. Round-trip airfares have risen to approximately $800, compared with roughly $400 in previous years, yet bookings have continued to strengthen. The price increase has not stopped families from seeking a pilgrimage they may now be able to repeat.
