Umrah Visa for US Citizens 2026: Fees in USD, Nusuk Permit and Ihram on the Flight

Last updated: 2 November 2026

US citizens do not need a special Umrah visa. The simplest Umrah visa for US citizens is the Saudi tourist eVisa: SAR 395 (about $105) with medical insurance included, valid for one year with multiple entries and up to 90 days per visit. You can also get the same visa on arrival, use the Umrah visa sold through Nusuk Umrah packages (SAR 300, about $80, plus the package), or a free 96-hour stopover visa when you fly Saudia or flynas. Whichever visa you hold, you then book a free Umrah permit in the Nusuk app before you go to the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

This guide is for pilgrims travelling on a US passport. It explains which visa to pick, what each one costs in US dollars, how to book the Nusuk permit and the Rawdah visit, where to put on ihram when you fly in from the United States, and the dates in 2027 when tourist-visa holders cannot enter Makkah. Saudi prices are set in riyals; we convert at the fixed rate of SAR 3.75 to $1, and you can check any other amount with our SAR to USD converter.

Umrah visa for US citizens at a glance

All four allow Umrah outside the Hajj season. None of them allows Hajj, which needs a separate Hajj visa and permit issued only through Nusuk. The tourist visa fees are not refundable, even if the visa is rejected.

Can US citizens perform Umrah on a tourist visa?

Yes. The official Visit Saudi portal lists Umrah among the activities allowed on the tourist visa (“excluding Hajj”), and the United States is on its list of 68 eligible countries. The US Embassy in Riyadh says the same thing from the American side: US citizens performing Umrah can enter Saudi Arabia on a tourist e-visa, an Umrah visa or a transit visa, but not during the Hajj season.

The visa only gets you into the country. To enter the Grand Mosque for Umrah you also need a permit with a time slot from the Nusuk app. Many first-time pilgrims from the US arrive with a valid eVisa and only then learn about the permit, so book it before you leave the hotel for the Haram.

Option 1: the Saudi tourist eVisa (SAR 395, about $105)

For most American Muslims this is the best Umrah visa for US citizens. You apply yourself, you are not tied to a package, and one visa covers several trips in a year, for example Umrah in winter and again in Ramadan.

What you get

• Fee: SAR 395 (Visit Saudi shows about $105.32). The application fee and the medical insurance are included in that price.
• Validity: the multiple-entry visa is valid for one year from the date of issue and allows up to 90 consecutive days per stay. A single-entry version is valid for three months.
• Extension: the eVisa cannot be extended. Leave before your 90 days end.
• Insurance: a health policy is issued with the eVisa and runs for the same year. Read our guide to Saudi visit visa medical insurance to see what it covers in an emergency.

How to apply, step by step

1. Go to the official portal, visa.visitsaudi.com, and create an account with your email.
2. Fill in the application with your US passport details exactly as printed. You must arrive on the same passport you used to apply.
3. Pay SAR 395 by card. Payment does not guarantee approval and is not refunded.
4. The approved eVisa arrives by email as an attachment. Print a copy: the terms say you must carry it on your first arrival.
5. Check the dates on the visa carefully. The US Embassy reminds pilgrims that Saudi Arabia uses the Hijri calendar for official purposes; our Hijri date converter shows today’s date in both calendars. You can also confirm the visa status with our Saudi visa check guide.

Your fingerprints and photo are taken at the airport on arrival. Applicants under 18 can be included by a parent or guardian.

Passport validity for US citizens

The Visit Saudi requirements page says US citizens may enter as long as their passport is valid, with no six-month minimum. The eVisa terms and conditions still say an application will not succeed unless the passport has at least six months left from the date of entry. Until the two match, renew your passport first if it has less than six months left. It costs far less than a refused application.

Option 2: visa on arrival (same SAR 395)

US citizens can also get the tourist visa at the airport, using the self-service kiosks or the passport control desk. The price and terms are the same as the eVisa, and Visit Saudi notes that any type of visa will allow travellers to perform Umrah. In practice, applying online before you fly saves time in the arrivals hall after a long-haul flight, and you board knowing the visa is approved.

Option 3: the Umrah visa through Nusuk Umrah (about SAR 300, $80, plus a package)

Since August 2025 the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah lets pilgrims outside Saudi Arabia book directly on Nusuk Umrah, without an agent. The United States is in its country list. The platform sells “comprehensive packages” that include the visa, and packages without a visa for people who already hold one.

• The Umrah visa fee is estimated at SAR 300 (about $80), according to the Ministry’s FAQ.
• It cannot be issued on its own: the Ministry says an Umrah visa needs a service package with accommodation and transport.
• Stay is up to 90 days and cannot be extended. You must enter within three months of issue.
• You can get more than one Umrah visa in the same year.
• All providers on Nusuk Umrah are licensed by the Ministry, which protects you from fake packages.

Choose this Umrah visa route if you want one booking for hotel, transport between Makkah and Madinah, and the visa, or if you are bringing elderly parents and want a provider to handle the ground arrangements. If you prefer to pick your own hotel and train tickets, the tourist eVisa is cheaper and more flexible.

Option 4: the free stopover visa with Saudia or flynas

If your trip is really to somewhere else, for example Pakistan, India or Egypt, you can break the journey in Saudi Arabia and perform Umrah on a transit/stopover visa. When you book with Saudia or flynas, the visa itself is free; Visit Saudi lists an application fee of about SAR 39.50 ($10.53) and insurance from about SAR 13 ($3.47). It is single entry, valid for three months, and allows a stay of up to 96 hours, which is enough for Umrah and a visit to the Prophet’s Mosque if you plan the train.

Four days is tight. Land in Jeddah, perform Umrah, take the Haramain train to Madinah the next day, and fly out from Madinah. Book your Nusuk permit and Rawdah slot before you leave the US, because there is no time to wait for a free slot.

Book your Umrah permit and Rawdah visit on Nusuk

The Nusuk app is the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s official platform. It is free to download, works without a Saudi phone number, and both the Umrah permit and the Rawdah permit are free.

Register as a visitor

1. Download Nusuk from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Choose to register as a visitor and enter your passport number, visa number, date of birth, nationality, mobile number and email. You can register from the US once your visa is issued.
3. Enter the verification code sent to your email.

Book the Umrah permit

1. Open the Umrah permit service and pick a date and a time slot.
2. Add family members. The Ministry allows up to four companions plus dependants, and children need to be at least five years old to have a permit.
3. Show the permit’s QR code at the Haram when asked.

Only one permit can be active at a time, its time cannot be changed, and if you do not use it, it is cancelled automatically. Pick a quiet slot: our guide to the best time for Umrah shows the least crowded hours and months.

Book the Rawdah in Madinah

Praying in Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah in the Prophet’s Mosque needs a separate Nusuk permit for everyone aged five and above. It is free, there are separate slots for men and women, and you can book one visit every 30 days. Book it as soon as you know your Madinah dates, because slots fill quickly in winter and Ramadan.

Ihram on the flight from the United States

Flights from the US usually land in Jeddah. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah says pilgrims arriving by air must not pass the Miqat without ihram, and that Jeddah airport is neither a Miqat nor a place to enter ihram. So:

• Do ghusl and put on the ihram clothes at home, at JFK, Dulles or your departure airport, or during the layover.
• Make the intention and start the Talbiyah when the crew announces that the plane is level with the Miqat. The Ministry’s ihram guide notes that airlines flying to Jeddah usually make this announcement.
• Flying into Madinah first? Then you do not need ihram on the plane. Visit Madinah, then enter ihram at Dhul Hulayfah (Abyar Ali) on the way to Makkah.

Our full guide to Miqat locations for Umrah covers each Miqat, the flight rule and what to do if you pass the Miqat without ihram.

When US citizens cannot use the tourist visa for Umrah

Umrah on any visa, including every Umrah visa for US citizens listed above, stops for the Hajj season. The US Embassy says entry into Makkah is restricted from about one month before Hajj, and only a Hajj visa and permit are accepted then. In 2025 Saudi Arabia barred visit-visa holders from entering or staying in Makkah from 1 Dhul-Qi’dah to 15 Dhul-Hijjah 1446 (29 April to 11 June 2025).

Our 1448 AH Umrah visa dates guide has the Ministry’s full season calendar. If you plan Umrah in Ramadan 2027 (expected to fall in February and early March), book early: it is the busiest and most expensive time of the year.

Umrah visa costs for US citizens in dollars

Flights, hotels and transport are your main costs and change by season, so we do not list them here. Hotel prices near the Haram are highest in Ramadan and in the winter school holidays. Check prices in riyals and convert with the SAR to USD rate; the riyal is pegged, so the rate barely moves.

Health, women and children

• Vaccines: Nusuk reminds Umrah pilgrims to take the meningitis (meningococcal) vaccine and other preventive vaccines. Ask your doctor or a travel clinic a few weeks before you fly.
• Women: women can perform Umrah without a male guardian. Both the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the US Embassy confirm this.
• Children: the minimum age for an Umrah permit is five years. Children under five can travel with you on their own visa.
• Heat: Makkah can pass 105°F (41°C) in summer. Carry water and plan Tawaf for the cooler hours.
• Accessibility: the Grand Mosque is accessible, but the US Embassy warns that most hotels and transport are not. Confirm wheelchair needs with your hotel before you pay.

Safety tips and emergency contacts for Americans

• Book visas only on visa.visitsaudi.com, at the airport, or through Nusuk Umrah. The US Embassy warns about scams selling fake permits and packages to pilgrims.
• Keep two copies of your passport and Saudi visa page: one saved on your phone, one in a separate bag.
• Do not overstay. Fines can reach thousands of dollars, and you can be detained, deported or banned from returning.
• Do not photograph other people praying, or Saudi security staff and buildings.
• Enroll in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) before you fly.
• If you drive in Madinah, read our Masjid Nabawi parking guide first, with fees, entrances and free options.
• Check the prayer times in Makkah and Madinah before you plan your Tawaf or Rawdah slot.

The US numbers reach American Citizen Services from Sunday to Thursday, 8 AM to 5 PM Saudi time, and an after-hours duty officer for emergencies. The consulates can replace a lost passport, but they cannot fix visa or overstay problems or disputes with hotels and tour companies.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Visit Saudi, visa requirements (United States)
• Saudi eVisa terms and conditions
• US Embassy and Consulates in Saudi Arabia: Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage travelers
• Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, FAQ
• Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Rawdah permit service
• Nusuk Umrah