Nusuk explained

"Nusuk" is the name Saudi Arabia uses for its official pilgrimage platforms, and three different things share it. Pilgrims often mix them up. Here is what each one does, in plain words. Checked 29 October 2026.

Nusuk Umrah: buying direct

Nusuk Umrah is the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's one-stop platform, launched in August 2025, for Muslims outside Saudi Arabia. You can apply for an Umrah visa and buy an integrated package, or single services such as a visa, a hotel, transport or tours, "without intermediaries". It works in seven languages, and every provider listed is licensed by the Ministry.

Package types include Comprehensive (with the visa), Without Visa (for GCC citizens and residents and people who already hold any Saudi visa), Special and Gift.

Two lists on the site are easy to misread:

• The serviced countries list names 236 countries and territories from which you can register. It is not the list of countries whose citizens can get a visa through Nusuk. That is shown only after you register.
• The service providers directory lists licensed Saudi Umrah companies. It is not a search for agents in your own country.

Nusuk Masar: the system behind your package

Nusuk Masar is the business platform where agents abroad, called "external agents", are qualified and sign contracts with licensed Saudi Umrah companies. For the 1448 season the Ministry added an automated qualification and contracting service, with unified electronic contracts that can be checked by QR code.

It also enforces the hotel rule. Since 10 June 2025, no pilgrim from abroad gets an Umrah visa until the housing contract is recorded on Nusuk Masar, in a hotel licensed by the Ministry of Tourism.

The part that matters most to pilgrims is the public search, Inquiry About Qualified External Agents. Choose Umrah services, enter your country and city, and search. No documents are needed. If an agent says it is approved for Umrah, this is where you can check.

The Nusuk app: permits once you are there

Umrah permit. You need a permit, a time slot for your Umrah, booked in the Nusuk app or the Tawakkalna app, whatever visa you hold. You can hold only one active permit at a time. To change the time, you cancel and book again. There is no limit on how many times you perform Umrah, and no fee for repeating it.

Rawdah permit. Praying in Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah in the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah needs a permit booked in the Nusuk or Tawakkalna app. The Ministry said in January 2025 that each worshipper can have one permit every 365 days, and that people staying near the Prophet's Mosque can use an "Immediate Path" option for repeat visits. Sources differ: elsewhere the Ministry FAQ answers a question on the waiting time with "30 days". Book as soon as you know your Madinah dates.

The FAQ says visiting to send salam at the Prophet's grave, peace be upon him, needs no booking, and describes this for men.

What Nusuk is not

Nusuk is a Saudi government platform. It is not a travel agency in your country, and it is not this website. We are an independent enquiry service: we pass your request to a licensed operator in your country, and we never issue visas or take payment. If anyone uses the Nusuk name to ask you for money outside the official site or app, be careful.

Questions pilgrims ask