Saudi Arabia’s 1-Year Multiple-Entry Umrah Visa: What Pakistani Pilgrims Must Know (2026)

For decades the Umrah visa worked one way: you applied, you travelled, you came home, and if you wanted to go again you started the whole process from scratch. That has now changed. On 20 July 2026, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah launched a multiple-entry Umrah visa valid for 365 days, letting approved pilgrims enter the Kingdom several times over a full year on a single visa.

For Pakistani families — many of whom perform Umrah more than once a year, or travel in stages as budgets allow — this is one of the most useful changes in years. But it comes with conditions that catch people out, and it does not remove the requirement to book everything through Saudi Arabia’s Nusuk system first. Here is exactly how it works.

What the new visa actually gives you

According to the official announcement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the visa is valid for 365 days from the date of issuance and permits multiple entries into the Kingdom during that period, with a cumulative stay of up to 90 days.

The word cumulative is the key. The 90 days is a running total across the whole year — it does not reset every time you fly home. If your first Umrah trip uses 12 days, you have 78 days left in the balance for the remaining months. Unused days carry forward until the visa expires.

The Ministry also confirmed a mechanism most travellers have not seen before: the visa is deactivated after each departure and reactivated only once you meet the requirements for your next visit. So the visa sitting in your passport is not permanently “open” — it switches back on when you complete the booking steps again.

The condition everyone misses: a Nusuk package for every trip

This is where Pakistani applicants most often go wrong. The one-year visa does not mean you can simply buy a ticket and fly. For each visit, the Ministry requires you to purchase a service package from an approved provider on the Nusuk platform, and the package duration cannot exceed the number of days still remaining on your visa balance. On top of that, you must issue an Umrah permit through the Nusuk app before you arrive.

This sits on top of Saudi Arabia’s wider “no booking, no visa” rule, in force since June 2025 and reported by Gulf News: an Umrah visa is not issued until confirmed accommodation and ground transport are logged on Nusuk Masar and a booking reference number is attached to the application.

The one restriction: Hajj season

The multiple-entry Umrah visa is not activated during the Hajj season — specifically from the 1st of Dhu al-Qi’dah to the 13th of Dhu al-Hijjah. If your travel dates fall in that window, this visa will not get you in, and you would need to go through the separate Hajj channel. Plan your year around that gap.

What you still need to prepare

The document set has not changed dramatically, but the booking evidence is now non-negotiable rather than optional:

• Passport valid at least 6 months
• Recent photograph to spec
• Polio (OPV) vaccination proof
• Nusuk-approved hotel booking
• Pre-booked ground transport
• Booking reference number (BRN)
• Confirmed return flights
• Licensed operator submission

Quick answers

Can I stay 90 days in one go? In principle the balance allows it, but your permitted stay on any single visit is tied to the Nusuk service package you purchased for that trip.

Do the 90 days reset after I fly home? No. It is a cumulative total across the 365-day validity.

Is this visa replacing the normal single-entry Umrah visa? No — the standard route still exists. The multiple-entry visa is an additional option.

Can I use it for tourism around Saudi Arabia? It is an Umrah visa governed by Umrah rules and Nusuk packages. If your main purpose is sightseeing, the tourist e-Visa is a different product with different conditions.

Does it work during Hajj? No. It is switched off from 1 Dhu al-Qi’dah to 13 Dhu al-Hijjah.

Visa rules, fees and processing conditions change frequently and without notice. Always confirm the latest requirements on official sources — the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the Nusuk platform, and the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad — before booking travel or making payments.