Umrah visa new role: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has enacted a new law that stipulates that every foreign visitor who wants to make Umrah pilgrimage must make a reservation at a confirmed hotel using the official Nusuk Masar portal before getting a visa.
This Umrah visa new role comes into force on June 10, 2025 (14 Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH) and it covers all foreigners who would like to go through Umrah.
Since the development of Nusuk Masar, the Kingdom now integrates a single digital door, which is the unification of pilgrimage services and has paved the way to purchase, book, and manage pilgrimage permits. Besides this, it also offers multilingual educational material to help pilgrims on their journey.
With the new policy, all the Umrah service providers such as the domestic companies, entities, and the international agent will be required to book accommodation within the hotels licensed by the Ministry of Tourism.
Moreover, it is necessary to have all contractual arrangements in the area of lodging, formalized, and provided through the Nusuk Masar platform electronically prior to the issuance of any visa.
The Ministry reported that, the move will seek to uphold the rights of pilgrims, enhance the standard of accommodation as well as making pilgrimage well organized and smooth.
The ruling will also be targeting to strengthen professionalism in the delivery of services and the accommodation of all pilgrims in the officially approved facilities.
