Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced a big change on July 20, 2026. Pilgrims can now get a multiple-entry Umrah visa good for 365 days from the date it’s issued. So instead of rushing to fit everything into one short trip, you can go back and forth across the year, as long as your total time in the country stays under 90 days.
It’s part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 push toward simpler, more pilgrim-friendly travel. One thing hasn’t changed, though: you still need an approved service package through Nusuk and a valid Umrah permit for every single visit. At One More Holiday, we handle that side of things for USA pilgrims, from the visa paperwork to booking the actual trip, so nothing falls through the cracks with Saudi regulations.
Most pilgrims used to travel on a visa with a narrow entry window. Miss it, and you were out of luck. That’s over now. Since the July 20, 2026 announcement, Saudi Arabia issues a multiple-entry Umrah visa valid for a full year.
You can enter more than once during that year. The catch is the 90-day cap: add up every trip you take, and the total can’t go past that number. Once you leave, you’re allowed back in while the visa’s still active, but you’ll need an approved Nusuk service package and a fresh Umrah permit each time.
Visa Element | Previous Policy (2025) | New Policy (July 2026) |
Visa Validity | 30 days from issue | 365 days from issue |
Entries | Single Entry | Multiple Entries |
Total Stay | 90 days | Cannot exceed 90 days in total |
Re-entry | Not permitted | Allowed throughout visa validity after meeting requirements |
Nusuk Requirement | Standard permit | Approved service package and Umrah permit required for each visit |
Hajj Season | Restricted | Visa cannot be used during Hajj season |
Why the change? Mostly to give pilgrims room to breathe without making things harder to manage on the Saudi side. Multiple visits within one year, backed by Nusuk’s digital system, means authorities can coordinate hotels, transport, and services without everyone showing up at once.
It also helps during peak months, when hotel rooms and transport get tight fast.
This ties back to Vision 2030 and the Pilgrim Experience Program. Both aim at the same thing: cut the friction out of travel, modernize the digital side, and make the whole pilgrimage smoother from booking to departure.
Practically, it means you’re not filing a new visa application every time you want to go. The service packages and digital permits through Nusuk do the heavy lifting, letting authorities manage accommodation, transport, and services without the old bottlenecks.
The process itself hasn’t gotten more complicated, just more flexible. Here’s how it goes when you work with a trusted agent.
Apply directly if you want, or go through us online. Either way, the timing and paperwork need to match official standards, and that’s what we check for.
Nusuk is Saudi Arabia’s official platform for Umrah services and permits, and it’s central to how the current system works. Most eligible pilgrims will need it to get their Umrah permit, manage approved services, and pull up travel info before they even land.
For authorities, it’s also a way to track pilgrim numbers and keep visits to the holy sites organized. Requirements shift from time to time, so it’s worth double-checking the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s latest guidance before you fly out, just to make sure Nusuk is squared away.
For pilgrims coming from the US, this is a real upgrade. No more cramming everything into a short entry window; you can now spread your visits across the full year the visa covers.
That 90-day total gives you room to actually schedule Umrah around work, family, whatever’s going on in your life, instead of the other way around. Each visit still needs its own Nusuk service package and Umrah permit, but that’s a small ask compared to what you get in return.
At One More Holiday, we handle that planning so the paperwork stays out of your way.
Depending on your situation, there are three ways to make the trip:
Visa Type | Purpose | Ideal For |
Umrah Visa | Granted through authorized agencies. | Travelers focused purely on pilgrimage. |
Tourist E-Visa | Standard tourist visa that generally allows eligible visitors to perform Umrah outside the Hajj season, subject to current Saudi regulations. | Visitors combining tourism and Umrah. |
Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) | Available for eligible nationalities only. | Travelers seeking flexibility or quick approval. |
Not sure which fits your trip? Our advisors can talk through the options with you. They will match the visa type to your purpose and travel dates.
Visit visa.mofa.gov.sa. It is the official Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs site. Check your status directly:
Takes a few minutes, and it keeps your whole timeline accurate.
A handful of small things trip people up more than anything else:
None of these are hard to avoid. They just need attention.
Booking the trip is the easy part. What we actually focus on is preparing you and staying with you through the whole thing, because Umrah isn’t just another vacation.
Get the logistics right, and the trip just feels lighter.
This new visa structure is really about something bigger: an efficient, transparent pilgrimage system that can handle millions of Muslims from all over the world. It’s less about giving people endless time to plan, and more about giving them the ability to move with intention.
A one-year, multiple-entry visa, backed by digital permits and approved service packages, does exactly that. It’s a more flexible system, and a more organized one.
For you, it comes down to three things: a simpler process, faster approvals, and less guessing.
The July 2026 update is one of the more significant changes to Saudi Arabia’s pilgrimage system in recent memory. The old 30-day, single-entry visa is gone. In its place: a 365-day multiple-entry visa, with a 90-day cumulative stay limit, that gives pilgrims real flexibility.
Every trip still needs its own Nusuk service package and Umrah permit, so things stay organized and compliant on the Saudi side.
At One More Holiday, we handle the visa, the travel arrangements, and the pilgrimage plans, start to finish, so you can put your attention where it belongs: on worship.
https://soulofsaudi.com/one-month-validity-for-umrah-visa/
https://unb.com.bd/category/World/saudi-arabia-set-to-shorten-umrah-visa-validity/171937
