Facilitating the travel of Umrahpilgrims as well astourists to the kingdom, Saudi Arabia has introduced a number of E-Visa options for the travelers. Though you can book Umrah Packages with flights from a trusted Islamic travel agency in UKfor your pilgrimage travel, if anyone wants to opt for the hoy rituals by themselves or already going to the region for some other purpose; it’s now possible.
The availability of E-visa options for travellers to KSA remains limited to residents of specific countries. The most common types of eVisaavailable include tourist visa, family visa, and work visa. Umrah pilgrims from the eligiblecountries can now travel directly to KSA with an eVisa as well as visa on arrival facility and perform the holy rituals. In other words, if you are visiting KSA for work purposes, touring the region for leisure or meeting your family, you can offer Umrahrituals on it as well. The need for obtaining a separateUmrah visa no longer exists.
Here’s what you need to know about the e-visa options for Umrahpilgrims.
When e-Visas became Available?
In order to attract tourism and more business opportunities in KSA, Saudi Arabia passed a new plan known as ‘Saudi Vison 2030’ that included many projects to inject the region’s economy with other source of incomes in addition to the oil trade. As a result, policiesregarding Hajj and Umrah travel were also revised and major changes were made to the pilgrimage travel rules and regulations.
Among them, the permissibility of offeringUmrahrituals on other visa types i.e. work, family, or tourist visa remains the most prominent one. However, one must know that the e-Visa options for SaudiArabia are available for residents/citizens of specificcountrieswhose complete list is presenton the Saudi Arabia’s official sites. You can go there to know of your eligibility for an e-Visa to KSA.
Types of e-Visas
The types of e-Visas available include;
Work/Business Visa; for the travellers coming to the regionfor work related or businesspurposes. It permits stay up to 90 days per entry.
Family Visa; Family visa is for the individuals coming in KSA to meet their family members who are already residing the in the region. It also has a validity of 90 days per entry.
Tourist/visit visa; Tourist visa, as the name suggests, is for tourismpurposes. You can stay up to 90 days per entry on a tourist visa with multiple entries allowed within a year.
As far as Umrahrituals are concerned, a Muslim can get an Umrah permit through the Nusuk app on any of these visa types and offer the holy ritualswithout any restriction.
How to get an e-Visa?
To get an e-Visa, you must gather all of your necessary documents that includes; a validpassport, reason of travel to KSA, vaccination certificate(s), bank statement, proof of pre-booked hotel accommodation for your entire trip duration, copy of non-refundable, confirmed, return airline tickets, latestphotographs (passport-sized), a complete e-visa application form.
The nextstep is to review, confirm your details and pay the visa fee online via a credit/debit card or any other third party payment platform available. Upon approval, you will get your e-visa details sent to your registered e-mail address.
You can go to the online portal of Saudi e-Visa through your desktop or mobile phone, and apply from there easily within just a few steps. Alternatively, get help from credible Umrah agencies with their Umrah 2025 Packages from the United Kingdom. Cheap Umrah Packages offers the special discounts for the Umrah VISAs and packages for those pilgrims who want to book packages for the nest year.
Validity of an e-Visa is an up toa year, however, you can only stay a total of 90 days (three months) per visit. E-visasallowmultiple entries to KSA within a year.
The processing time of an e-Visa is 24 hours to 72 hours.
How to perform Umrah on e-visa?
When you arrive in Makkah on your e-Visa, the next thing you need to do for offering Umrah rituals is to obtain an Umrah permit for it.
Umrah Permits ae available for e-visa holders and issued through the Nusuk App (available for download on iOS and Android). You can create an account within the app’s platform and then get your Umrah permit. Without an Umrah permit, you cannot enter Haram.
In addition, entry to Rawdah and Riyadul Jannah in Madinah is also through the channel of Nusuk app by booking an appointment.
