Saudi Clarifies One-Year Multiple-Entry Umrah Visa Rules, Nusuk-Approved Packages

Saudi Arabia said pilgrims holding the one-year multiple-entry Umrah visa still need a new Nusuk-approved service package and a fresh Umrah permit for every trip. The visa remains valid for 365 days from issue, but it only covers a cumulative 90 days across repeated visits. That means the document opens a year of travel, not a year of automatic entry. The visa is not a standing pass.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah issued the clarification on Aug. 15, after confusion spread over whether the document alone was enough for later entries. The answer stayed no. Each new trip starts with a booking, and each booking has to satisfy the permit rules before departure.

The visa launched on July 20, 2026, and sits inside the Pilgrim Experience Program under Saudi Vision 2030. Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah has described the new format as a way to facilitate the pilgrim's journey and provide greater flexibility, while tying the process to digital services through Nusuk. Saudi Arabia has said it wants to host 30 million Umrah pilgrims a year by 2030. The new visa supports that aim, but it does so with guardrails. Pilgrims can come back again and again, yet each visit still needs its own booking and permit. The pitch is flexibility. The controls stayed.

The ministry put it bluntly on its official account. The message was meant to clear up one assumption: a valid visa is not a blank check for multiple visits.

"Visa validity does not exempt pilgrims from booking other required services. [Pilgrims] must purchase a service package from one of the approved service providers through the 'Nusuk' system for each visit."

The ministry drew a hard line. No one gets around Nusuk.

The same rules still apply during the Hajj season, when the visa cannot be used at all. The Hajj-season blackout period runs from 1 Dhu Al-Qi'dah to 13 Dhu Al-Hijjah, and it sits outside the visa's one-year validity. That seasonal ban does not bend for later entries. It is a hard stop. Travelers who want to return have to wait for the window to close.

After each departure, the next trip has to begin again through Nusuk Masar. The fresh Umrah permit must line up with the dates on the new approved service package, so the visa holder cannot rely on an earlier reservation. That changes planning for repeat pilgrims from the UAE and Qatar, who can now make shorter visits more easily, but still have to restart the paperwork each time. Every trip is separate.

The format also marks a shift away from the traditional single-visit model. It lets pilgrims spread multiple stays across the year, but only inside the 90 days cap and only with a new package for each entry. Saudi Arabia has tied that structure to its target of 30 million Umrah pilgrims a year by 2030. The door is wider. The gate still closes.

The visa also carries a price tag of about $80, or SAR 300, before mandatory health insurance and digital service fees. Total online costs typically run from $142 to $150, about SAR 535. The paperwork is lighter than before. The bill is not. That cost sits on top of the package purchase, which has to be repeated for each visit.

For 2027, the blackout is expected to begin around May 14, 2027. On Aug. 17, the ministry said it had started coordination meetings with more than 75 countries for Hajj 2027, while the Interior Ministry reported 14,542 violators of residency and border laws between Aug. 6 and Aug. 12. The next season is already taking shape.