Saudi Arabia has unveiled fresh adjustments to its Umrah visa rules, reducing the time pilgrims have to enter the Kingdom and adding stricter cancellation terms. Under the updated Umrah visa rules, anyone granted a visa must now enter within one month of issuance, down from the previous three‑month window.
If the visa holder fails to enter within those 30 days, the visa will be automatically cancelled.
Once inside Saudi Arabia, the permitted duration of stay remains unchanged, and pilgrims may still remain up to three months to perform their pilgrimage.
These latest changes build on a prior policy shift in which Saudi authorities opened the door for all types of visa‑holders to perform Umrah. Earlier this month, the Kingdom announced that holders of tourist, transit, business, and other entry visas could also perform Umrah, not just those on specific pilgrimage visas.
By connecting the two, first, Saudi Arabia expanded access in the earlier announcement to permit Umrah for all visa‑holders, and now, in this latest move, it is tightening the entry window under the Umrah visa rules to allow more effective management of pilgrim arrivals. With more people eligible, the ministry appears to be putting in place stricter timing controls to avoid overcrowding and ensure smoother operations.
Travel agencies and prospective pilgrims are being advised to act promptly after visa issuance, given that the one‑month entry window will become binding once the change takes effect. It’s also expected that these tighter Umrah visa rules will lead to more careful planning around flights, accommodation, and arrival timing.
In short, the new Umrah visa rules mark a shift from widening access to refining the process; more people can go, but they need to move faster.
