Umrah checklist

A practical list for the weeks before you travel. Rules were checked on 29 October 2026; confirm the details with your operator and on official sites.

Documents

• Passport with at least six months' validity. This is the rule for the tourist eVisa and for UAE residents applying on Nusuk; ask your operator about your route.
• Visa: Umrah visa, tourist eVisa or other visa, printed and saved on your phone. See Umrah visa by passport.
• Fingerprints: pilgrims from Bangladesh must enrol through the Saudi Visa Bio app for the e-Umrah visa.
• Hotel confirmations for Makkah and Madinah, with the hotel names.
• Flight tickets, with flight numbers.
• Vaccination certificates (see below).
• Proof of protection: an ATOL certificate in the UK for packages with flights, or your operator's licence number elsewhere.
• Written booking terms, including what happens if flights are cancelled.
• Travel insurance details. The UK FCDO notes that the Saudi tourist e-visa includes health insurance; check what else you need, especially under current travel warnings.

Vaccinations

The Saudi Ministry of Health's Umrah health rules for 1447H (2026), the latest version we found, say all Umrah pilgrims from every country must be vaccinated against meningococcal meningitis at least 10 days before arrival:

• ACYW conjugate (or ACYWX pentavalent conjugate) vaccine within the last 5 years, or
• ACYW polysaccharide vaccine within the last 3 years.
• If the certificate does not say which type, it counts as valid for 3 years.

Pilgrims from 26 listed countries, mostly in Africa's meningitis belt and including Nigeria, must show the certificate. Some countries also have polio and yellow fever rules. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for people over 65, pregnant women and people with certain chronic conditions, and a flu vaccine is recommended (Saudi Ministry of Health, PDF).

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah FAQ still has an old line from the COVID period saying no vaccination is needed. The Ministry of Health document is the current rule, so get the meningitis vaccine.

Extra rules for Nigerian pilgrims: show the meningitis certificate, have at least one dose of IPV polio vaccine (or a type-2-containing oral vaccine if IPV is not available), and be vaccinated against yellow fever if over 9 months old. See Umrah from Nigeria.

Apps

• Nusuk (or Tawakkalna): for your Umrah permit and your Rawdah visit in Madinah. You can hold one Umrah permit at a time. See Nusuk explained.
• Saudi Visa Bio: for fingerprint enrolment, if your visa route needs it.
• Your airline's app, to follow any schedule changes.

Money

• Know exactly what your package excludes: meals, transfers, visa fees or taxes.
• Indian pilgrims: TCS of 2% applies to overseas packages and can be claimed against income tax. Keep the receipt.
• Keep some money in reserve in case flights change; some pilgrims were stranded in October 2026.
• Pay the operator's company account, never a person's account, and keep every receipt.

Ihram

• Men: two plain white unstitched sheets, and a belt or pins to hold them.
• Women: modest everyday clothing; the face and hands are not covered in Ihram.
• Unscented soap and toiletries, because perfume is avoided in Ihram.
• If you fly straight to Jeddah, change into Ihram before or during the flight, since the plane crosses the Miqat before landing. See how to perform Umrah.

Packing

• Comfortable walking shoes or sandals; you will walk a lot.
• A small bag for shoes inside the mosques.
• Any regular medicines, with prescriptions.
• Copies of your passport, visa and bookings, on paper and on your phone.
• A phone charger and power bank.

Useful numbers

• Saudi Pilgrim Care Centre: 1966.
• Your country's embassy or consulate in Saudi Arabia. In October 2026 the Indian Consulate in Jeddah ran 24-hour control rooms in Jeddah and Makkah for stranded Umrah pilgrims.
• Your operator's emergency contact in Saudi Arabia.

Questions pilgrims ask