Saudi opens Umrah for all visa holders 

Saudi Arabia has eased Umrah restrictions for visitors, permitting all visa holders to perform the pilgrimage. 

Visitors holding any kind of valid entry visa are welcome to perform Umrah, the kingdom’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced on social media platform X. This includes personal and family visit visas, transit and work visas, as well as electronic tourist visas. 

Travellers must install the ‘Nusuk’ app to secure their Umrah permit. 

The visa update is the latest in a string of initiatives launched by the government to beckon inbound travellers, facilitate religious tourism and offer assistance to Muslims worldwide. 

Earlier this month, the first group of Iranian pilgrims headed to the kingdom to perform Umrah in almost a decade, in the wake of restoration of ties between the two countries last year. 

The kingdom secured its tourism milestone – of receiving a 100 million tourists annually – in 2023, seven years ahead of its initial goal.

This prompted the country to set a new target, that of welcoming 150 million tourists a year by the end of the decade.