Saudi Arabia 2026: New Umrah Multi-Entry and Package Visa Rules

If you performed Umrah more than once in the last year, you paid for a new visa each time. That changed on 20 July 2026, when Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah launched a multiple-entry Umrah visa valid for a full year — and on 10 July, a separate new visa route opened for seven nationalities that previously couldn't get a standard Saudi tourist e-visa at all. Both are still active and being rolled out through booking platforms as of this week, so anyone planning a Saudi trip this autumn is looking at rules that are only weeks old.

The multiple-entry Umrah visa: what actually changed

Until this year, Saudi Arabia's standard Umrah visa allowed a single entry within roughly 30 days, meaning frequent pilgrims had to reapply — and pay again — for every trip. The new visa, announced by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah via the Saudi Press Agency and reported directly by Euronews and The National, is valid for 365 days from the date of issue and allows pilgrims to enter and perform Umrah repeatedly within that year, for a combined maximum of 90 days across all visits.

The mechanics are worth understanding before you book: the visa deactivates after each individual pilgrimage and reactivates only once the pilgrim books a fresh Umrah service package and permit through the government's Nusuk platform for the next visit. It also goes inactive during the annual Hajj season itself, so it isn't a way to combine Umrah and Hajj travel on one document. The Ministry framed the change as part of its Vision 2030 pilgrim-experience goals — fewer repeat applications, not a loosening of who can enter. Every entry still runs through the same Nusuk booking-and-permit sequence: create an account, buy an approved provider's Umrah service package, and get the entry permit confirmed before travel.

The Package Visa: a new door for seven countries

Ten days before that, on 10 July 2026, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism opened a different route entirely: the Tourist Package Visa, reported directly by Gulf News. It's aimed at travelers from Egypt, Jordan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Mexico — nationalities that, as VisasNews reported on 7 September 2026, were not previously eligible for Saudi Arabia's standard tourist e-visa at all. Rather than a standalone visa application, the Package Visa bundles the visa with a return flight and a stay at a Ministry-licensed four-star hotel, booked as one purchase through an approved provider.

Pricing starts at SAR 4,000 (roughly US$1,070) per adult for a two-day package, with each additional day adding a minimum SAR 1,000. That figure includes SAR 3,597.79 in bundled travel services plus SAR 402.21 for the visa itself, insurance and processing. Stays can run from 2 to 88 days, but the visa is single-entry and tied to the dates of the booked package — it isn't a general-purpose multi-trip document like the Umrah visa above. Approval typically lands within 24 to 48 hours of completing the booking. As of 6 September 2026, two days before this article, Webook.com confirmed it had implemented the Package Visa on its own booking platform, alongside earlier adopters Reserval and Almosafer — a sign the programme is actively expanding its distribution, not a one-time July announcement that's already gone stale. The Ministry of Tourism has said more nationalities will be added in future phases, but as of this run only those seven are confirmed.

One nuance worth flagging: the Package Visa's bundled hotel is booked outside Mecca and Medina, but visa holders are free to travel anywhere in Saudi Arabia after arrival, including the holy cities — it just doesn't include Umrah services itself. A traveler on this visa who wants to perform Umrah still needs to arrange that separately through Nusuk.

Two visas, two very different travelers

These aren't competing options — they solve different problems. The Umrah multi-entry visa suits anyone, regardless of nationality, who performs Umrah more than once a year and wants to stop paying for a fresh single-entry visa every time. The Package Visa suits first-time leisure travelers from the seven listed countries who previously had no standard e-visa route into Saudi Arabia at all, and who are happy to have their flight and hotel bundled into the booking rather than arranged separately. If your nationality already qualifies for Saudi Arabia's standard tourist e-visa, the Package Visa isn't for you — it exists specifically to open a route for nationalities that route didn't previously cover.

If you're one of several countries whose national Hajj authority has set a domestic quota-registration deadline of 26 September 2026 for the 2027 pilgrimage — Bangladesh's and Pakistan's religious affairs ministries both confirmed this date this year — that's a separate process from either visa above, run by your own government, not by Saudi Arabia directly. Check with your national Hajj authority for your country's specific deadline and process.

Getting connected in Mecca, Medina and beyond

Buying a local SIM once you land adds a step most travelers skip on a short trip: Saudi Arabia requires identity verification for every SIM activation, tourists included. In practice that means handing over your original passport at an STC, Mobily or Zain store, and for many purchases, biometric fingerprint verification on top of that. Zain's entry-level tourist SIM runs about SAR 34.5 (roughly US$9) for 3GB, but the registration step itself is the friction, not the price.

A foreign-issued travel eSIM sidesteps that entirely, because it roams on the same Saudi networks (STC, Mobily, Zain) without ever becoming a locally registered Saudi line — no passport handover, no fingerprint scan, no in-country store visit. That matters more than usual around Mecca and Medina during pilgrimage season, when network demand spikes and lines at operator counters get long. Roameo's Saudi Arabia eSIM plans start from $3.99 and activate before you land, which is one less queue to stand in between your flight and your first prayer at Masjid al-Haram.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a separate visa to visit Mecca and Medina?

No — both cities sit inside Saudi Arabia, and any valid Saudi entry visa (tourist e-visa, Package Visa, or Umrah visa) lets you travel there, though performing the Umrah ritual itself specifically requires an Umrah permit booked through Nusuk regardless of which visa got you into the country.

Can I use the new multi-entry Umrah visa for a leisure trip, not Umrah?

No. It's issued specifically for repeat Umrah pilgrimage, deactivates after each pilgrimage, and reactivates only when you book a fresh Umrah service package through Nusuk for the next visit — it isn't a general tourist visa.

Is the Package Visa cheaper than applying for a standard e-visa and booking separately?

Not necessarily — it's priced as a bundle (from SAR 4,000, ~US$1,070, for a 2-day package including flight, hotel and visa), so the comparison depends on what you'd otherwise pay for the same flight and 4-star hotel booked separately. Its real value is opening a route for the seven nationalities that had no standard tourist e-visa option before.

Do I need a local Saudi SIM card, or can I use an eSIM from home?

A local SIM works but requires passport and often biometric registration at purchase. A travel eSIM installed before departure roams on the same Saudi networks without that registration step, since it stays a foreign-issued line rather than becoming a local Saudi one.