By Ziyara.io Last updated October 13, 2026
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It is Thursday evening, nineteen days before the flight. Your Saudi operator writes: twelve photos rejected, three names that do not match the passports, one passport that expires in May. Send everything again by noon tomorrow.
Nothing in that message is about Saudi Arabia. Every item on it was decided weeks ago at your own desk, on the day each pilgrim registered.
The short answer: an agency abroad does not issue Umrah visas. It prepares the file that the holder of the Nusuk Masar account submits. That file is ready when four things are true for every pilgrim: the passport is valid for six months from arrival and typed exactly as its machine-readable lines; the photo meets the portal's specification; the hotel has been booked and registered; and the submission date puts the visa inside the last 30 days before arrival.
Who does what in an Umrah visa
| Who | What they do | What they need |
|---|---|---|
| You, the agency abroad | Collect and check each pilgrim's data, documents and money, and hand over one complete file | Pilgrims who register early |
| The Nusuk Masar account holder — your Saudi operator, or your own agency if it is contracted as a foreign agent | Registers the group, the hotel booking and the visa applications on the Ministry's platform | Correct data in its own format, on the date you agreed |
| The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah | Issues the visas, and evaluates the agencies that send pilgrims | Bookings and data that match |
Two rules shape the whole process. Since 10 June 2025, an Umrah visa is issued only after the pilgrims' accommodation has been documented on Nusuk Masar. And since November 2025, a visa is cancelled automatically if the pilgrim has not entered Saudi Arabia within 30 days of the day it was issued. The first moves your hotel decision ahead of the visa. The second forbids applying too early. Both are covered with their sources in Nusuk rules for Umrah agencies.
The five stages of a visa file
1. Collect at registration, not at the deadline
Ask for everything on the day the pilgrim signs up, while they are still motivated to send it:
- the passport data and a clear scan of the photo page;
- the visa photo;
- which passport they will travel on, if they hold two;
- which visa they already hold, if any. Since July 2026 there is a one-year, multiple-entry Umrah visa, and a returning pilgrim may have one.
A document you ask for in week one is a reminder. The same document in the final week is an emergency.
2. Check before anything leaves your office
| Check | What goes wrong if you skip it |
|---|---|
| Passport valid at least six months from arrival | A renewal takes weeks; found late, it costs the seat |
| Name, number and dates exactly as the passport's machine-readable lines | The visa, the flight manifest and the hotel booking must all match the document |
| Photo: recent, face clearly visible, plain white background, within the portal's file size (currently 5–100 KB) | The photo is checked automatically, and a phone picture is usually too large |
| One record per pilgrim | The same person typed twice becomes two applications |
| The hotel is booked and registered by the account holder | No hotel on Nusuk Masar, no visa |
The full list of documents, with the vaccination rules for Hajj and Umrah, is in the Umrah & Hajj document requirements checklist.
3. Hand over once, in the operator's format
Every operator has its own spreadsheet: its columns, its order, its date format, its way of writing gender. Fill in that sheet, not yours, and send it together with the passport scans and the photos as one package on the date you agreed.
Corrections sent afterwards in separate messages are how an operator ends up working from three versions of your group. If something changes, send a complete corrected file and say which rows changed.
4. Track every pilgrim, not the group
"The visas are in progress" is not a status. Each pilgrim is pending, approved or rejected, and each approved visa has a number and an issue date. From the issue date you know the last day that pilgrim may enter Saudi Arabia — thirty days later — and you can compare it with the day the group lands.
A rejection is almost always one of the checks in stage two. Fix it the same day; the window is already running for everyone else.
5. Close the file
When the visas are issued, keep each one with the pilgrim's record and give the group leader the set. Before departure every pilgrim also needs the Nusuk app installed and signed in, because the Umrah permit is obtained there. The rest of the final week is in the pre-departure checklist.
The 30-day window decides your submission date
Count backwards from the day the group arrives. No visa should be issued more than 30 days before it.
For a group landing on 20 February 2027, that means nothing issued before 21 January — and in practice a few days later than that, because a visa that expires on the arrival day leaves no room for a delayed flight. So the file is complete and checked by early January, and you agree with your operator on a submission date in the second half of the month.
The end of the season sets the other limit. For 1448 AH the Ministry's calendar is:
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Last day for issuing Umrah visas | 9 March 2027 |
| Last day to enter Saudi Arabia | 23 March 2027 |
| Last day to leave Saudi Arabia | 7 April 2027 |
Ramadan 1448 falls in February–March 2027, so a late-Ramadan departure sits right against these dates. Plan it with a margin, and write the cut-off into your terms.
Five mistakes that cost visas
- Applying as early as possible. It used to be good practice. Since the 30-day rule it produces visas that no longer exist on departure day.
- Typing names the way the family spells them. The passport decides, down to the last letter.
- Collecting photos in the final week. A rejected photo then has no time to be replaced.
- Sending corrections in pieces. One complete file each time, never a trail of messages.
- Selling a late-season departure without checking the calendar. A visa that cannot be issued after 9 March cannot be rescued by a good hotel contract.
There is one more reason to be careful. In February 2026 the Ministry suspended its contracts with 1,800 of about 5,800 foreign Umrah agencies after a periodic evaluation of their performance. Clean files and pilgrims who leave on time are part of how an agency — and the operator behind it — is judged.
How Ziyara fits
Ziyara does not connect to Nusuk and does not submit visas. It prepares the file and keeps track of what comes back.
- Collect: pilgrims register through your link and add their passport scan and photo; a private upload link collects what is missing later. Staff can read a passport photo straight into the form and compare the result with the document before saving.
- Check: passport expiry is a column with a warning, the same passport cannot be entered twice in one trip, and a Missing Documents list shows who still owes you something.
- Hand over: describe your operator's spreadsheet once — columns, headings, date format — and every group exports into it, with the approved pilgrims' passport scans and photos as ZIP files.
- Track: each pilgrim has a visa status, number, type and issue date. Enter the issue date and Ziyara shows the last day to enter, and marks the pilgrim in red if it falls before the group arrives.
Every new group also starts with a task to submit the visa applications 30 days before departure. The buyer's side of all this is in the guide to Umrah & Hajj agency software; you can try the workflow on the free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Who applies for an Umrah visa: the agency or the Saudi operator?
Whoever holds the account on Nusuk Masar, the Ministry's platform for Umrah service providers. For most agencies abroad that is their Saudi operator, who registers the hotel booking and the applications with the data the agency sends.
How early can an Umrah visa be issued?
No earlier than 30 days before the pilgrim enters Saudi Arabia. A visa that has not been used within 30 days of its issue date is cancelled automatically, so prepare the file early and time the submission late.
How long can a pilgrim stay on an Umrah visa?
Up to three months after arrival. That is separate from the 30 days allowed between issue and entry. The one-year multiple-entry visa introduced in July 2026 allows a total stay of up to 90 days.
What is checked on an Umrah visa photo?
A recent colour photo with the face clearly visible on a plain white background, within the portal's file-size limit — currently 5 to 100 KB. Photos that fail the automatic check are rejected.
Does Ziyara submit visa applications to Nusuk?
No. Ziyara prepares the data in the layout your operator asks for, with the passport scans and photos, and records each pilgrim's visa status and dates. The submission is made by the Nusuk Masar account holder.
Sources
- Gulf News — Saudi Arabia announces 1448 AH Umrah season calendar
- Gulf News — No Umrah visa without approved hotel booking on Nusuk Masar
- Gulf News — Saudi Arabia announces new amendments to Umrah visa rules (October 2025)
- Khaleej Times — Saudi Arabia launches multiple-entry Umrah visa with one-year validity (July 2026)
- Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah — contracts with 1,800 foreign travel agencies suspended (February 2026)
- Nusuk Umrah — official platform
- Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah — official portal
This guide was written with the help of AI tools. If you spot a mistake, please write to us at info@ziyara.io
