Umrah on the Saudi Tourist eVisa from the UK: Who Can Go

TL;DR

You can perform Umrah on the Saudi tourist eVisa. Visit Saudi lists Umrah, excluding Hajj, among the activities the visa allows, and the KSA Visa platform says the same. British citizens and 67 other nationalities apply on visa.visitsaudi.com; holders of a US, UK or Schengen visit visa and permanent residents of the UK, US or EU apply on ksavisa.sa. The Umrah permit is booked in Nusuk. Hajj needs a Hajj visa.

Which visa covers Umrah from the UK

There are two visas a UK resident can use for Umrah. The first is the Umrah visa, issued through the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's Nusuk Umrah platform and licensed operators, usually as part of a package of flights, hotels and transport. The second is the tourist eVisa, which Saudi Arabia opened to international visitors and which expressly allows Umrah outside the Hajj season. The official eVisa portal describes it as a one-year, multiple-entry visa allowing up to 90 days in the country, for activities such as events, visiting family and relatives, leisure and Umrah, excluding Hajj. The KSA Visa platform's tourism visa page says in so many words that performing Umrah is permitted under this visa and that travellers are not authorised to undertake the Hajj pilgrimage on it.

We work with the tourist eVisa only. It lets you book your own flights and hotel, travel on your own dates, and combine Umrah with family visits or a holiday. We do not sell Umrah packages or the Umrah visa; the Nusuk Umrah platform at umrah.nusuk.sa handles those, and it also sells packages without visa issuance to holders of all types of visas.

Who qualifies for the tourist eVisa

Eligibility is by passport first. The eVisa portal lists 68 eligible countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, every EU member listed, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey and South Africa. A British citizen applies on visa.visitsaudi.com.

If your passport is not on the list, the KSA Visa platform opens the same tourism eVisa to holders of visit visas for Schengen, the USA or the UK, to permanent residents of the USA, the EU or the UK, and to residents of a Gulf Cooperation Council country. For a UK resident on an Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nigerian, Somali or other non-listed passport, permanent residence means settled status or indefinite leave to remain. A time-limited visa, such as Skilled Worker, Student or a family route, is neither permanent residence nor a UK visit visa, so without a valid Schengen or US visit visa the route is a Saudi visa service centre or the embassy, or an Umrah visa through a licensed operator. Our Saudi eVisa guide sets out the rules in full, and the plan step applies them before anything is paid.

The Nusuk permit

The visa gets you into the country; the permit gets you into the Grand Mosque for Umrah. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's FAQ says permits for Umrah and for prayer in the Rawdah are issued through the Nusuk or Tawakkalna app, that a permit is activated immediately when booked through Nusuk, and that you can register in Nusuk from outside the Kingdom as a visitor provided you have a valid visa. Entry to the Grand Mosque for Umrah is tied to the permit time, while entry for prayer is allowed at any time; if you miss your slot you wait for it to expire and book another. Prayer in the Rawdah needs its own permit, with 30 days between visits, and it can be cancelled before the permit time but not moved.

What the tourist eVisa does not cover

Hajj. The Ministry's statement of April 2025, still current on its site in October 2026, is that all types of visas do not entitle their holders to perform Hajj except for those arriving with a Hajj visa, and that attempting Hajj without a permit is a violation of Hajj regulations. Its FAQ answers the question about Hajj on a visit or work visa with a plain no, and it adds that an Umrah visa cannot be extended for the Hajj season. Studying is also excluded, and business meetings are not among the listed activities.

Validity, stay and requirements

The multiple-entry tourist visa is valid for one year with a stay duration of 90 days; a single-entry version is valid for 90 days with a 90-day stay. gov.uk reads the multiple-entry rule as 90 days in total across the year, and that is how we tell customers to plan. Applicants must be at least 18 unless accompanied by a legal guardian, the passport must have at least six months of validity remaining, and you must be able to support yourself during the stay. If you rely on a US, UK or Schengen visit visa, the platform may ask that it has been used, a point we check before work starts because the official help page carrying it would not load on 23 October 2026.

The official fees, and where you pay them

On the KSA Visa platform the visa fee is 80 US dollars, labelled refundable; the visa digital services fee and the insurance digital services fee are 10.50 US dollars each, non-refundable; and the insurance premium depends on the provider you select. The total is shown on the platform before you pay, and you pay there by card. Visit Saudi has quoted an all-in SAR 535 including insurance, but the page carrying it returned an error when we checked, so we quote the platform's itemised list only. The processing time stated is 1 minute to 3 business days. You can apply yourself on either platform for those fees alone.

Travelling as a family or group

We take up to five applicants on one order at £29 each. Every pilgrim has their own application in their own account, checks their own answers, pays their own official fees on the platform, and books their own Nusuk permit; children travel with a legal guardian. Use the Compressor to size each photo before you start, and the Bundler to keep the family's passports and permits in one file for the airport.

Our £29 prepared-for-you service

We identify the platform that fits each traveller, then prepare the application in your own account, ready for you to check and submit, within 24 hours of your complete details, or your service fee back. You check every answer, it is submitted on your say-so, and you pay the official fees on the platform yourself; we never take or enter card details. Before that we check your passport validity and your UK status or visit visa against the platform's eligibility text. £29 per applicant, £29 for each additional applicant, up to five on one order, with a full refund if you cancel before we start work or if we find the route is not open to you. The Saudi authorities alone decide the outcome. Start at the plan step or read more on the eVisa hub. Sold by WayaNerd Ltd, company number 16269713.