Umrah entry visas now valid for one month instead of three from issuance date.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has reduced the validity period for Umrah entry visas from three months to one month from issuance date, though the permitted stay duration remains unchanged at three months after arrival.
The new regulations take effect next week (November 1, 2025) amid a record-breaking Umrah season that has already seen over four million visas issued to foreign pilgrims.
Under the updated system, Umrah visas will automatically cancel if pilgrims fail to enter Saudi Arabia within 30 days of issuance.
The three-month allowance for staying in the Kingdom after arrival remains unaffected, preserving pilgrims’ flexibility once they enter the country.
Ahmed Bajaeifer, advisor at the National Committee for Umrah and Visit, confirmed the changes to prepare for expected pilgrim increases following summer’s end and cooler temperatures in Mecca and Medina.
The current Umrah season, beginning in early June, has achieved unprecedented numbers with four million foreign pilgrims arriving within just five months. This volume surpasses previous full-season totals, demonstrating growing global demand for Umrah pilgrimage opportunities.
A meeting was held yesterday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the implementation of the decree of the Head of our state “On Measures to Further Develop Domestic and Pilgrimage Tourism in the Republic of Uzbekistan” dated February 9, 2021, and the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers “On Additional Measures to Implement the “Umrah Plus” Pilgrimage Tourism Program dated January 9, 2026, as well as to expanding tourist flows from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore to Uzbekistan, reports Dunyo IA.
According to the MFA, the meeting, organized in a hybrid format, was attended by representatives of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan, the Committee on Religious Affairs, the Technical Regulation Agency, the khokimiyats of Bukhara and Samarkand regions and Tashkent city, JSC Uzbekistan Airways, JSC Uzbekistan Airports, domestic airlines, the Uzbekistan–Malaysia–Indonesia Travel Association, the Association of Umrah Pilgrimage Travel Agencies, as well as nearly 40 representatives of tourism companies.
Participants discussed in detail transport and logistics, service quality, and promotional measures aimed at increasing tourist arrivals to Uzbekistan from Southeast Asian countries. In particular, they considered increasing the number of flights from Malaysia, launching direct flights from Indonesia and Singapore, intensifying promotional activities for pilgrimage tourism under the “Umrah Plus” program, aligning infrastructure for foreign pilgrims with international halal standards, and strengthening coordination with tourism companies operating in this field.
The event was held in an open dialogue format based on the “problem–proposal–solution” approach, providing participants with an opportunity to exchange constructive views on existing challenges and opportunities in the sector.