Nusuk Rules for Umrah Agencies — What Changed for the 1448 AH Season

A few years ago the Saudi side of an Umrah package was mostly your operator's business: you sent passport data, they came back with visas. That has changed. Visas, hotels and even the right to perform Umrah on a given day now run through official digital platforms, on a fixed season calendar — and every one of those rules reaches back into your sales, payment and data-collection timeline.

This guide summarises what an agency outside Saudi Arabia needs to know for the 1448 AH season (2026–27).

The 1448 AH Umrah season calendar

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced the calendar for the 1448 AH season in May 2026:

Milestone	Date
Umrah visas issued and pilgrims start arriving	31 May 2026
Umrah visa holders may enter Makkah; Umrah permits through Nusuk	from 1 June 2026
Last day for issuing Umrah visas	9 March 2027
Last day for Umrah pilgrims to enter Saudi Arabia	23 March 2027
Last day for Umrah pilgrims to leave Saudi Arabia	7 April 2027

The end dates matter most. Ramadan 1448 falls in February–March 2027, so late-Ramadan departures sit close to the final visa and entry deadlines. Build those groups with a safety margin: a visa that is issued a day too late cannot be rescued by the best hotel contract.

No hotel booking in Nusuk Masar, no visa

Since 10 June 2025, Umrah visas are issued only after the pilgrims' accommodation has been booked and documented on Nusuk Masar, the Ministry's platform for Umrah service providers. The rule applies to Umrah companies, establishments and foreign agents alike, and the hotels must be licensed by the Saudi Ministry of Tourism. The Ministry has said non-compliance can lead to visa delays and penalties.

For an agency abroad, this changes the order of work:

1. Hotel before visa. Accommodation has to be contracted and registered before the visa application, not arranged afterwards.
2. Earlier commitments. Hotel contracts — and often their payment — move earlier, so you need pilgrims' deposits sooner.
3. Licensed properties only. A cheap apartment or an unlicensed hotel is no longer an option for visa holders, whatever the price.
4. Name data earlier. Your operator needs complete, correct passport data earlier in the process than many agencies are used to.

Your Saudi operator does the platform work, and some operators also book ground transport through Nusuk-approved providers as part of the package. Ask yours which services it registers for your groups and what deadline it needs your data by.

What the new order means for your workflow

Put the Saudi deadlines at the centre of your departure plan and work backwards:

Weeks before departure	What has to be done
12–10	Package priced, hotel options confirmed with the operator, registration link open
10–8	Deposits collected; complete passport data and photos checked
8–6	Hotels booked and registered by the operator; visa files complete and with the operator
6–4	Flight names submitted before the airline deadline; visa submission date agreed with the operator
4–2	Visas issued, no earlier than 30 days before arrival; final balances; rooming lists and manifests finalised
Final week	Nusuk app set up on pilgrims' phones; briefing and departure details

The exact weeks depend on your operator and airline, but the sequence doesn't: complete data and money have to arrive before the Saudi and airline deadlines that consume them. Collecting registrations through a link — rather than passport photos on WhatsApp — is what makes that earlier data realistic (see Online Booking & Registration System for Umrah Groups).

Two visa changes that affect your timing

A visa has to be used within 30 days. Since November 2025, an Umrah visa is cancelled automatically if the pilgrim has not entered Saudi Arabia within 30 days of the day it was issued. The stay allowed after arrival is unchanged, at up to three months. For a group this turns "apply as early as possible" into a mistake: a visa issued six weeks before the flight no longer exists on departure day. Get every file complete early, then agree with your operator on a submission date that puts issuance inside the last 30 days before arrival.

Some pilgrims may already hold a visa. In July 2026 the Ministry introduced a one-year, multiple-entry Umrah visa: valid for 365 days, for a total stay of up to 90 days, and not usable during the Hajj season. Each entry still needs a service package from an approved provider on Nusuk and an Umrah permit. Ask returning pilgrims at registration which visa they hold, and check with your operator how it handles them.

Umrah permits and the Nusuk app

Holding a visa is not the whole story on arrival. Pilgrims obtain their Umrah permit through the Nusuk app, and for the 1448 season permits are available from 1 June 2026. The same app is used for other bookings, such as a visit to the Rawdah in Madinah.

Agencies that run smooth trips make the app part of the preparation rather than a problem at the hotel:

• Ask pilgrims to install the Nusuk app and create their account before departure.
• Help older pilgrims in person at your pre-departure meeting — and let the group leader know who needed help.
• Give the group leader a clear plan for booking permit times for the whole group.

The Hajj-season restrictions

Every year, Umrah stops for the Hajj season, and in 2026 the authorities enforced the break strictly:

• For the 1447 AH season, the last day for Umrah visa holders to leave Saudi Arabia was 18 April 2026, and Umrah permits through Nusuk were paused until the new season opened.
• During the Hajj period, entering Makkah requires authorisation. The Ministry of Interior announced fines of up to SAR 20,000 for performing, or attempting to perform, Hajj without a permit, including for visit-visa holders entering Makkah and the holy sites during the restricted period.
• Anyone who arranges visas for, transports or shelters people without a permit faces fines of up to SAR 100,000, multiplied by the number of people involved.

For an agency, the lesson is simple: never sell "Umrah plus Hajj" on an Umrah or visit visa, and plan late-season Umrah departures around the official exit date. Hajj has its own channels and rules, covered in Hajj Group Management for Agencies.

Foreign agencies are evaluated too

The rules do not stop at the pilgrim. On 1 February 2026 the Ministry suspended its contracts with 1,800 foreign Umrah agencies out of about 5,800, after its periodic evaluation found weak performance and service quality, and gave them ten days to put things right. The suspension stopped the issue of new visas only; pilgrims who already held a visa or a booking were not affected.

For an agency abroad this means two things. Your record on the Saudi side — complete data, licensed hotels, pilgrims who leave on time — is what keeps visas flowing. And if your visas come through another agency or operator, ask whether it was affected: a partner suspended a month before Ramadan takes your departure with it.

Your 1448 season checklist

• Confirm with your operator which bookings it registers on Nusuk Masar, and its data deadlines.
• Map every departure against the final visa (9 March 2027) and entry (23 March 2027) dates.
• Time visa submissions so that no visa is issued more than 30 days before arrival.
• Move deposit dates earlier so hotel commitments are covered before visas.
• Collect complete passport data and visa photos at registration, not weeks later.
• Check passport validity — at least six months from arrival — for every pilgrim (see Umrah & Hajj Document Requirements).
• Add "Nusuk app installed and logged in" to your pre-departure briefing.
• Write the Hajj-season cut-off into your terms for late-season packages.

How Ziyara helps

Ziyara does not replace or connect directly to Nusuk or your Saudi operator. Pilgrims register through your link, duplicates are caught at entry, and passport expiry is visible well before submission. The Visa Data Pack is a structured preparation aid for transferring approved pilgrim data into the forms your operator specifies, together with a ZIP of approved pilgrims' passport scans. Confirm the current required fields before submission. Payment plans tie deposits to your deadlines.

You can set up a real departure on the free trial and see how early your data is ready.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nusuk Masar?

Nusuk Masar is the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's platform for Umrah service providers. Since June 2025, pilgrims' hotel bookings have to be documented on it before Umrah visas can be issued.

When does the 1448 AH Umrah season start and end?

Visa issuance and arrivals started on 31 May 2026, with entry to Makkah and Umrah permits from 1 June 2026. The last day to issue visas is 9 March 2027, the last entry date is 23 March 2027 and pilgrims must leave by 7 April 2027.

Can pilgrims book their own hotel outside Nusuk and still get an Umrah visa?

Not for an Umrah visa arranged through a service provider: the accommodation has to be in a Ministry of Tourism–licensed hotel and documented on Nusuk Masar before the visa is issued. Ask your operator how it handles pilgrims who want to upgrade or extend their stay.

Do pilgrims need the Nusuk app?

Yes. The Umrah permit is obtained through the Nusuk app, so every pilgrim should install it and sign in before departure — ideally with help at your pre-departure meeting.

How long is an Umrah visa valid before travel?

The pilgrim has to enter Saudi Arabia within 30 days of the visa being issued; otherwise it is cancelled automatically. After arrival the permitted stay is up to three months. The exception is the one-year multiple-entry Umrah visa introduced in July 2026: it is valid for 365 days, with a total stay of up to 90 days.

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)
• Khaleej Times — Hajj 2026 rules: fines for permit violations
• Nusuk Umrah — official platform
• Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah — contracts with 1,800 foreign travel agencies suspended (February 2026)
• Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah — official portal