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Saudi Arabia has launched multiple-entry visas for pilgrims making sacred journeys to Mecca throughout the year.
The Umrah visa will be valid for a year and allows people to enter Saudi Arabia multiple times with a cumulative stay of up to 90 days.
The visa will make it easier for Muslims to partake in Umrah, a sacred journey to Mecca that can be performed at any time throughout the year.
This is in contrast to the Hajj pilgrimage, which always takes place in the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. In 2026, Hajj took place from 25 May 25 to 30 May.
Umrah cannot take place during Hajj, so the Umrah visa will not be activated during the Hajj season.
The visa is deactivated after each departure and reactivated upon meeting regulatory requirements for the next visit.
Before each visit, pilgrims must select a pilgrimage package through the government’s authorised Nusuk travel platform, where visitors can also obtain an Umrah permit.
The Nusuk platform and mobile app allow pilgrims to book accommodation, transport, flights and catering all in one place.
The new Umrah visa is part of Saudi Arabia’s wider Saudi Vision 2030 project: a government initiative to diversify the economy and reduce reliance on oil.
In 2025, 18 million Umrah pilgrims arrived from outside Saudi Arabia, surpassing the 15 million target set for that year.
So far in this Umrah season, which started with the end of Hajj on 1 June, there have been 931,000 arrivals on Umrah visas, a 22.5 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
The majority of these visitors were from Pakistan (200k), followed by Indonesia (170k) and Iraq (130k).
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