This Saudi tourist visa has been long-awaited but finally, it is here and I am a proud holder on one of the first few tourists visas for Saudia.
I also have all the breakdown for you so keep reading. Also at the end, you will find all the updates on how the visa works as this article is updated.
You can read my experience of performing Umrah on a tourist visa here
Saudi Arabia announced a few years ago their Vision 2030 which basically means to expand its tourism sector to 30million by 2030 not only for Umrah but in general.
This, of course, meant opening Saudi Arabia to tourism and showing the beauty of the land. Which I have to say judging by their promo video is stunning!
For Muslims, this also means exploring a country that for so long we visited but not really explore as with the Umrah visa we could only go to Jeddah, Makkah and Medinah.
The official Saudi Tourism website is here
You can watch their promo video, check out places to visit, eat, explore and also a very handy FAQ!
I like the fact that they are modernising Saudi and with this, they are relaxing the dress code for tourists. Check out the post here.
Tourism chief Ahmed al-Khateeb told Reuters in an interview in the run-up to the official announcement that abayas will not be mandatory for women tourists but modest dress is, including at public beaches.
Now, I can finally take my mum and show her Saudi Arabia.
(edit: many people have been for Umrah on this visa without issue.)
Saudi Tourist Visa – The Details
Over 49 countries can apply for a Tourist E-visa for Saudi Arabia.
The Tourist visa is valid for one year and you can spend up to 90 days. It is a Multi-entry visa which means you can go as many times as you want.
You can now issue your OWN Tourist visa for Saudi without the need for an agent!
This is a total game-changer and here is why:
- You can visit not only the three cities but also any city in Saudi
- You can issue it on your own via their site ( link below)
- You pay only £120
- You can do Umrah as well
- If you are a single woman you can go alone!
The most amazing and stunning change they did is that single women who before could not do Umrah on their own now can apply for a tourist visa and actually go! Check the site here on the FAQ.
The actual link for the E-visa: Click Here
You can perform Umrah on the tourist visa according to their FAQ and by the looks of it, you don’t need specific accommodation or transport. After all, you are a tourist and not specific Umrah
Visa for those not on the list
If your country is not on the list you can be able to get a visa from the Saudi consulate as you belong to visa from Category B. The process requires a few more steps and documents but it should be possible. Here is what you need:
- Minimum age of applicant is 18 years old
- Underage applicants require an individual above 18 years old to be the guardian
- When applying, passport validity must be for at least 6 months at the time of entering Saudi Arabia
- Refund in case of rejection is not possible, visa fees are non-refundable
- Overstay fees: SAR 100 for each day of overstay
- Religion of applicant is not relevant
- Sponsor is not required for the visa application
- Documents required include:
- Proof of accommodation
- Return ticket
- Proof of employment
- Bank statement
- Supporting information include:
- Identification
- Home address
- Travel itinerary
- Time taken to issue an e-Visa is 1-2 business days in most cases
- Visa pre-checks are conducted by all airlines before boarding flights to Saudi Arabia.
Visa for US, European, British and Schengen visa holders.
It was announced in January 2020 that those holding visas from the UK, US, Schengen can receive a Saudi Tourist visa as well. You will need to meet certain conditions like have actually been to the country that issued your visa and have a stamp on your passport, your passport should be valid for at least 6 months, they must travel on Saudi Airlines and then they can receive a visa on arrival.
Please note after many comments and questions, you cannot use your work, residence or another status in the mentioned countries above to issue a tourist visa. It basically needs to be a visa for the purpose of travel and meet the conditions.
For example: A wife of a Pakistani with indefinite leave in the UK cannot issue a tourist visa, she will need an Umrah visa and her husband will also need to issue an Umrah visa himself as she needs a Mahram under to Umrah visa rules.
An Indian professional in Europe on a work permit cannot issue a tourist visa even though he has a permit to reside in the Schengen and a visa.
I know there is still issue applying online so it might be best to raise a ticket or go for the on-arrival visa.
How the Process works
In order to make sure the process works I actually issued my own visa!
Yep, without mahram without anything!
The process is pretty straight forward if your country is on the link you can issue the visa.
Step1: Personal Details
First, you need to register on the portal and confirm your phone and email.
Step2: Persona & Passport Details
Once logged on you can start your passport application.
Each step gives you 10 minutes to complete, which is more than enough.
You can do a group or an individual application. I did the individual as I wanted to see if as a woman I can issue it on my own.
You enter your details such as passport, address etc.
You will also need to provide where you will be staying. I think as with all visas you only provide your first hotel if you are planning to visit many cities.
Step 3: Medical insurance
This was an interesting process as I didn’t know if I had to book it myself. However, and congrats to them, they have integrated it. You just pay for the travel insurance.
Only thing I am not sure how it would work if you had to claim but it is great that they have it especially after my previous experience of a hospital abroad.
Step 4: Terms and Conditions
The terms are simple. Not to break the law, drugs and alcohol and others. If you are a genuine tourist you wouldn’t have an issue with compliance.
Step 5: Review Your Application
A simple review of your application. Before you proceed.
Step 6: Pay the fees
The total fees for the visa were 426SAR which is about £93.
Once you have completed the steps you will see that your application is under review and wait.
I was not sure how long I had to wait, however, it wasn’t long. Under the FAQ it says from 5minutes to 30minutes.
My Saudi Tourist Visa visa was issued less than 5 minutes later.
Edit: When applying for my husband and daughter, the visa was processed but later I saw I was charged double. I know some other people had this issue.
I didn’t raise it at the time as my credit card said they can cancel the charge but this also might cancel my visa. I decided to wait to go for Umrah and then cancel.
However 3 weeks later and I refund was issued directly by the Tourism for Saudi, so I assume they did an audit and found they had charged people.
I am extremely happy about the new tourist visa because it will make visiting Saudi and actually exploring the country so much easier.
Also, it is great they have allowed people to perform Umrah on the Tourist visa as well so then Muslims don’t have to hide they are doing it.
The process is easy and could be completed in less than 20 minutes.
Applying for minors brought up an interesting fact. I went to apply for my daughter and my husband, when applying for her it picked she is a minor and asked for her guardian. There is no version to have a mother as guardian so I guess this has not changed.
Update: Several people in the comments have asked about this. The support team at Saudi Tourist visa has said that mothers can add themselves as guardians without a problem. So if you are travelling as a woman with a child then you are the guardian in this case. I would also bring a birth certificate just to be on the safe side at the airport especially if you have different surnames.
Here is the application part and how it looks. 
Umrah Visa VS Tourist Visa
One thing that is interesting I guess is the fact they changed the Umrah visa rules making it harder to go on a DIY Umrah. Yet they are making the tourist visa cheaper and easier to obtain and also you can go Umrah on it.
This is of course for the lucky countries that generally never had a problem getting an Umrah visa.
With this tourist visa now, however, there is no need to actually issue yourself an Umrah visa which is much more expensive.
The tourist visa costs £93 and the Umrah visa costs £230 and you need to book accommodation and transport, were with the tourist visa this is not required. You can book them independently.
I am not sure why they decided to do this, but looking at the countries there are very few actually Muslim countries who are there so they will still need Umrah visa to enter Saudi for Umrah.
FAQs
There are a lot of questions whether the Saudi tourist visa allows Umrah, even though the FAQ does. Here is the screenshot of the application where you mark it.
Now, I am not saying Saudi tomorrow can change their mind but for now, you can. The restriction is on the non-Muslims visiting Makkah and Medinah which is totally normal and understood.
Here is the FAQ on this from the website where it says non-Muslims are not allowed to visit. I guess the biggest draw for a Non-Muslim to go is to visit Makkah. I hope they have restrictions on this as I definitely wouldn’t want tourists in the city.
With regards to how much you can spend in Saudi on the tourist visa, the below is mentioned under their FAQ:
How long can I stay in Saudi Arabia as a tourist?
The tourist visa allows you to stay for up to 3 months per entry, spending no more than 180 days/year in Saudi Arabia. If you leave the country past your visa period, you shall pay a penalty of SAR 100 per day.
Fathers name on the field
Many people have added father’s name on the field, this is mostly required for those, like myself who have it on their passport. For those who completed it and they are worried this is what was sent from the visa team to people.
Update: Many people since then have travelled with no issue.
Thanks for waiting and apologize for the delay, regarding your inquiry, the father’s name field is not required but if you fill it out and the visa is issued with the father’s name, there is no problem with that.
But it is important that the first and last names are correct and identical to the passport.
Umrah on Tourist Visa
There have been rumours about people not being allowed on a tourist visa to do Umrah. This is false and it looks like sadly agents are spreading them as they lose money.
Many people have been for Umrah on this visa so there is no problem if you worry about ihram just visit Medinah first. But as it is allowed I don’t see a problem and people have gone through Jeddah airport.
Update: I personally went for Umrah in January 2020 and I will write about it separately but we had no issue entering the country. Everyone was friendly and knew what they are doing.
Visa Rejections
There was a wave of people being rejected for a visa, unfortunately, there is not much you can do, agents say you can apply for Umrah visa.
Hotel reservations
Many countries when issuing visa ask for hotels. You don’t need to have them booked beforehand you need to just add the hotel, email and phone number. Once your visa is granted you can book them. If you are staying in both Makkah and Medinah then just do one of them.
Vaccination
The tourist visa doesn’t ask for vaccination for meningitis where the Umrah visa does. Many people have emailed me asking if it is needed. Personally, I would do it just to protect myself as Makkah is a melting pot. I think it’s a personal choice and of course, you don’t have to do it on a tourist visa.
Umrah visa requires a vaccination by Saudi immigration, they don’t check them always, but if they do you should have it. You will not know until you actually arrive so nobody can tell you the answer.
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Terry Poole
Hi there, I received my E Visa yesterday 10 minutes after paying the fee. In the section where it asks for middle name, it said optional, if in passport, so I left my middle name out. I was concerned as people had issues with this and I didn’t want my middle name coming after my surname on the visa. As you’ve pointed out, only the First name and Surname are mandatory, so I should be okay, Insha’Allah.
Cheers.
Terry
Muslim Travel Girl
Yes, you should be fine. They check your passport and your visa. I used my names like this too.
Terry Poole
Hi Elena, I contacted the Saudi Visa chat help, and after initially saying only the first and middle names are mandatory; when I then asked if I would have problems at Heathrow Airport. I was asked to wait a few moments. I was then told that the name on my passport must match exactly that of the visa. I then phoned Emirates who told me that they are clamping down on this issue and that I would have problems at Heathrow and would in all likelihood not be allowed to fly. So I have cancelled my trip to Saudi, reissued my air ticket to fly somewhere else in January, for a £200 fee and also lost £100 on a visa; all because of my own stupidity. I’ll try to get another visa for Nov. next year with my full name on it. My message to everyone is that if you have a middle name, you must put it on the visa application if it is in your passport as well.
Terry
Muslim Travel Girl
I am not sure how this would be a problem, unless Emirates specifically makes this rule but many people travel without middle name on their tickets. Thanks for letting us know.
B
Due to Coronavirus I was refused by royal Jordanian airlines to board the plant although I had a tourist visa and Saudi embassy have confirmed it is ok to travel as tourist however the mosques are closed. I would check updates if you are due to travel I spent 5 hours at the airport and then had to return home. I have emailed Saudi embassy for refund of visa but not sure if I will receive it.
Muslim Travel Girl
If it is a tourist visa you can use it later, if you have Umrah visa they did mention they will refund some, so check with your agent. I hope you received a refund of flight voucher from JA.
Arif Arshad
salaam,
I sent a detailed message regarding applying for E-visa, just want to confirm if its been received?
Muslim Travel Girl
Yes, Alhumdulillah great post and thank you for the nice comments, It is approved 🙂
Mohammed
Has anyone with a British Passport been rejected when applying for the tourist visa online but subsequently, granted visa on arrival? I was rejected online but my wife was granted visa online. I was planning to obtain visa on arrival when I go for Umrah next week iA. Please let me know.
Muslim Travel Girl
I haven’t heard of a story like this, usually you will need to issue an Umrah visa. The immigration in Saudi will have the same system as online so potentially they might turn you back. Not sure if it is worth the risk. If you go do let me know how it works
Parvez
Dear Sister,
Mashallah, great info, may Allah reward you abundantly for it. Two questions;
1. Can British citizens get a tourist visa from the UK and travel to Saudi from another country like Pakistan or Turkey?
2. The visa fee is in Riyal but 463 SAR but on my bank authorisation it reads £463 . Does it correct itself or would need to ask for refund?
Jhazakallah khair
Muslim Travel Girl
Salams, thank you for the kind message
Yes on the first question you can visit from any country and with regards to the second wait for them to clear the charge to see actually as the bank might have put a hold but in the wrong currency.
Hamdan
Hi, could actually tell me how it worked for your friend?
I have a valid US tourist visa that i used and is still valid.
Because the website has not been updated yet, I cannot apply for a tourist visa on basis of US/UK/Schengen visit visa holder status as of yet.
I bought a ticket to Jeddah and am flying with Saudi airlines and am hoping to get visa on arrival based on that.
If you could please explain the process based on your friends knowledge that would be very much appreciated.
Muslim Travel Girl
He went and issued the visa from a booth / office without a problem. But he had an American passport. Hopefully you should be OK, do let us know how it goes.
Adila
Salaam
I would like to know about the visa on arrival. I will meet all the entry criteria, but I want a single entry and not a multiple entry. As when I get back to home country I will be applying for a family visa (husband is in KSA on Iqama) and you can’t have a valid visa and apply for another one. Will it be possible to request a single entry or is it automatically multiple entry?
Muslim Travel Girl
don’t think this is possible. Only Umrah visa is single entry the others are multiple.
Arif Arshad
Salaam,
First of all I would like to say a big thank you sister for having this blog. I’m from the UK, just applied for 5 E-visas costing £95 each (2x Adults, 3xChildren total £475) and Alhumdulillah, they were all granted within 10min. I was a bit weary at first as my brother also applied for E-visas last month for himself and family. Unfortunately, his got declined which resulted in his 2 children’s also getting declined, as he was their guardian. His wife’s did go through. He then had to go to an authorised Umrah agent who charged him £180 per person (3x visa = £540). So after seeing him go through this, I decided to also use the agent which would’ve cost me £900, but Alhumdulillah I came across this blog where other brother’s and sister’s shared their experience and I decided to go ahead and apply for the E-visa through the OFFICIAL Saudi website, which you can find the link at the top of this page.
The application was very straight forward, took my own photos using a normal mobile phone. As I didn’t have a white background in my house, i got 2x A3 white paper, stuck them together and got my white background lol. Once I took the photos, I sent them to my desktop through Bluetooth, edited them by cropping them and changing the lighting and finally reducing the size as they cant be more than 100kb file size.
Regarding the FATHERS NAME field, I left it blank for all of us as it’s optional and not mandatory.
Once again sister, thank you very much, may Allah s.w.t bless the good work that you are doing, Ameen
Abdul Wali.
Assalamalekum Sister,
Would like to thankyou whole heartedly for putting out the information and your experiences.
Myself citizen of India and I am also holding PR of Austria (Schengen Country) since 2010. Upon reading few news articles in addition to your infomation:
“Visa for US, European, British and Schengen visa holders. It was announced in January 2020 that those holding visas from the UK, US, Schengen can receive a Saudi Tourist visa as well. You will need to meet certain conditions like have actually been to the country that issued your visa and have a stamp on your passport, your passport should be valid for at least 6 months, they must travel on Saudi Airlines and then they can receive a visa on arrival. ”
I approached Saudi Embassy in Vienna, who directed me to an agent. Where I was given whole new set of information. I was told my PR card (work permit card) of Schengen is not valid and my passport which was stamped with Schengen entry visa in 2010 is also not valid. He claims that the person who has Schengen visa stamp on passport (whose validity is not yet expired) and has already been to schengen atleast once on the visa are eligible.
Sadly the statement from your article or I should say the most common understanding everyone has is not valid
“This is a very good development for those on work permits in the countries as this means they can much easier apply for the Saudi tourist visa.”
On top of it I was told the tourist visa will be given for single entry. I am now confused if the information is percieved wronged or the agent has misinformation ?
Does anyone had similar experience or could throw more light on it.
JazakAllah Khairun.
Muslim Travel Girl
Sorry! I changed the wording. I think it was confusing you are right. The agent is right, this is only for those who have been tourists with valid visas ( silly I know). RP, indefinite leave to remain in the UK, etc are not valid for a tourist visa. With regards to the fact if it is for a single entry, I believe their statement is that it was valid for multy-entry but your agent will know best.
If this is the case then Umrah visa might be an easier option.
Anjum
Assalamualaikum..
Do british passport holders get a visa on arrival at jeddah airport ??
Muslim Travel Girl
Yes, they can.
Ahmed masood
Assalam o alekum I’m Italian citizen and olso my 2 kids but my wife she’s pakistani can she get a Saudi e visa ?
Muslim Travel Girl
She will not be able to get one unless she has a Schengen visa or American or UK and she has used to travel to the country or issuance. If not you all need Umrah visas
Takhtar
Hello All, There is some really good information here.
I have a question to ask. A cousin of mine(a British Citizen) would like to visit her husband in Riyadh (working in KSA on iqama). Can she use the new Saudi Tourist Visa? As it is pretty straight forward and does not have a hassle of applying through the Saudi Embassy in London.
Any information on this will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Muslim Travel Girl
Yes she can, she can enter on her own.
Ali
Assalamaliakum.
Inshallah, I am planning to go to umrah, I am a Canadian citizen want to know from where can I wear Irham or can I book a hotel in Jeddah go to hotel get ready do the intention of umrah and wear Irham and go to Mecca.
JAZAKALLAH
Muslim Travel Girl
You will have to wear ihram on the plane if you want in Jeddah. they announce the meeqat and give you plenty of notice so you can wear it. Going to jeddah without ihram will invalidate it I believe. you will need to travel to a meeqat like 180 km away to do your intention wear ihram and go. another option is going to Medina first.
Abdul
Is it mandatory to fly thru Saudi Airlines only on Tourist Visas?
Muslim Travel Girl
on toursit visa no, on tourist visa from the rule of UK, US visa holders etc yes.
Muna Ahmed
Similar problem, applied for the e-visa for myself and my mum. Her visa was accepted Alhamdulilah within an hour. Mine was rejected on their system but I didn’t receive an email explaining why. I contacted the e-visa support by phone who advised me to call the embassy. Was on hold with the embassy for ages, then I found another comment saying the embassy told them to contact the ministy of tourism, so I did that. I was told it can take 48 hours for the visa to be processed, and if I do not recieve an email after 48 hours I should contact them again and they will speak to IT to identify the problem. In sha Allah khyr. Sub7an Allah it’s a tough feeling seeing ‘rejected’ next to your application… Can’t imagine how difficult it was for our Prophet PBUH and the sa7aba when they went all the way to Makkah but were turned away without completing their umrah!
Muhammad
Salam,
did you get the visa at the end?
AI
Great information. Is it possible to travel right after hajj …let’s say after 15th of Dhu al-Hijjah on a tourist visa? Will they allow entry possisbly a week after hajj from Jeddah airport? Is it possible?
Muslim Travel Girl
Please read the post on the dates for Hajj season. You won’t be allowed straight after Hajj.
Nadia Q.
Great Site and blog. Can I please have the EXACT legitimate link to apply for e-visa (tourist)
Muslim Travel Girl
The official link is above in the article. there are many agents who will issue and charge extra and have bought domains with similar name. just go via the link above so you know it is the correct and official one.
SUHAIL ABDULLAH
salam. ps may i know the following;
where will i get off upon reaching Jeddah, Hajj terminal or the normal terminal. this is to book my airport pick up. tqvm
Muslim Travel Girl
You will get off in the normal terminal depending on your airline. Saudi in the new terminal and all others in the North terminal
Fathima
I’m a Sri Lankan and my husband works in Saudi for a year on 2 years of contract. I just want to meet him and visit Saudi. Is there any possibility to go ??
Muslim Travel Girl
You need him to issue you family visa
Bhatti
Can anyone please guide if they tried to get visa on arrival based on the USA/UK/EU valid and utilized visa.
I’m taking a flight from New York to Lahore, on Pakistani passport, but I’ve USA valid and utilized visa. I’m planning to have a short stopover in Saudia and want to avail that option.
If someone has gone through this please advise
Thanks
Muslim Travel Girl
Your visa need to be toursit purpose only visa not any other type. You are best to speak to an agent
Siraj Abdullah
Its a shame, they make US, UK and Schengen visa holders eligible for visa on arrival not the US green card holders, asking us to apply at the local embassy who doesn’t even pick up the phone – we are left with expensive option of going through the agents.
Naz
Hi
We will go for Umrah in Feb insha allah. I have applied for the visas and received it quickly. My only concern is that I have selected only Umrah as purpose of visit. Could this be a problem on arrival ? Has anyone experienced this?
Thanks
Fatima
Salam,
I’m almost 42, working in UAE, a Pakistani passport and zero Mahram.
How do I go about things? Basically I want to go for Umrah.
Pls advise. Thank you.
Muslim Travel Girl
You need to fina group only for females.
Mohammed
We have a longer last name: Mohammed hasan Jamal it does not let me type everything in it ,what should i do?
Muslim Travel Girl
How does it appear on your passport? Type the first and last one only
Haydzia Maldisa
Assalamu Alaikum. Sister I already got the evisa issued on December 2019. And is planning to perform Umrah in March 2020 in sha Allah. I’m just about to book my flights. But wanted to check with you if you happened to know any unaccompanied female getting thru the immigration alone. I am 46y/o. I’ve seen on the Saudi evisa portal, that unaccompanied female are allowed to go for umrah. Jazak Allah Khadriya for your input Sister. And your website is really helpful, Alhamdulilla.
Muslim Travel Girl
yes you can insha’Allah
Zee
I am thinking of going for an Umrah in the first week of April 2020. I am a Canadian citizen, but the remaining 3 persons in my party (Total=4 persons) are all adult Pakistani citizens (my wife, my father-in-law and my sister-in-law). My questions are:
1) Which visa should we individually apply for?
2) Does anyone of this group of 4 have to be declared as a “Guardian” ?
3) If I apply for a Tourist Visa as a Canadian citizen (which I can, under the E-visa rules), can my wife still apply as a Pakistani citizen ? Or will I also have to apply as a Pakistani citizen just because she is applying as a Pakistani citizen ?
Thank you for your help, and for the very informative website that you have put together.
Muslim Travel Girl
Right, so you don’t mention if your family has visas for Canada, if they do they should be able to apply fro tourist visa as well as per new rule in Jan this year. if so they visit saudi site has said they will be making the required changes on their system so you can apply online, if not they will need to go to the Saudi embassy. If you want an easy option but more expensive they will need to apply for Umrah visa in which case your father in law will be their guardian and you can apply as tourist.
Ali Shahab
Salam Alikum Sister,
I am a travel vlogger and on a trip to Middle East.
Allah is giving me the opportunity to do a visit in Saudi Arabia as well and so I want to take this opportunity to do umrah as well.
Now sister when we apply for visa on arrival do we specifically mention to the authorities that we also want to perform Umrah ? and if so do they ask any following questions such as “them thinking that we don’t really want to visit Saudi Arabia rather getting here fro Umrah”
Please answer as much as you can.
Also,
Sister, great article. I red it and its very detailed .
thanks
Ali
Muslim Travel Girl
I would suggested getting visa prior to trvel just to make it easier. If not you can get on arrival but some airlines are not aware of this option so they might ask questions. You can tell them you want to perform Umrah if they ask you, it is allowed on the visa terms.
Agustin
Exactly Afzal, it is not incorrect the name, just there is also the name of your father. If we use the common sense then we, and every person, will realize that it can’ t be invalid the visa because you write the name of your father where the field says OPTIONAL!!!!. It is not a mistake. People from the support they don’t understand the issue and instead of analyze the issue they say NOT VALID
Jawad Aslam
Salaam All,
I just travelled on a Tourist visa to Saudi, landed at Jeddah airport with my Irham on to perform Umrah, was not questionned at all at Jeddah airport, so Alhamdulilah those of you who were worried like me landing at Jeddah airport with your Irham on with the intention to perform Umrah, insha’Allah don’t be.
Muslim Travel Girl
Alhumdulillah glad to hear
Ahmad
How much is the cost for a visa for children?
Muslim Travel Girl
same as adult
Agustin
Gin, what’s happened?????you are already in Saudi?
Salwa Elsekely
Salam alikum. I am sister 45 plus and alhamidlil got the tourist visa. Any issues with travelling to Saudi alon for umra? If not, any suggestions of transportation from jeddah to makah?
Muslim Travel Girl
Please check out transport guide
Haydzia
Salam. Sister Salwa, have you already been for umrah? I’m really interested to know as I am travelling alone in March in sha Allah. Jazak Allah khair.
Terry Poole
Hi there, can a new Muslim convert visit the holy places in Mecca and Medina, perform their prayers there, etc. without being on an Umrah pilgrimage? I presume that I would need my conversion certificate with me to show to the relevant people. I am looking to visit Jeddah, Mecca and Medina in April and perform Umrah on my second visit in January 2021. Also, where it says “purpose of visit”, would I put leisure only or leisure and Umrah? I am not yet Muslim, but will convert after Xmas. Thanks for any info you can give me.
Muslim Travel Girl
You can only enter the Holy cities if Muslim with your certificate to show. No problem you don’t have to do Umrah.
Agustin
Hi, as salam maleykum.
FATHER NAME!!!!!
Im my case I sent a ticket and they tell me that the visa is invalid because obviously doesn’t match whit my passport.
My question is: what the true about this? If this is the case, why they put OPTIONAL in the field. They would must to write, if in your passport you have the name of your father fill it. Otherwise doesn’t make sens that the visa is invalid because of this. I don’t know what to think and I will take this fly but doesn’t make sense. The support visa tell me completely sure the visa is not valid. Please anybody enter to Saudi having the same issue??
Thank you
Afzal
As salamualaykum.. I have had the issue with the father’s name but upon arrival at the customs it was smooth. Within minutes I was cleared.. First name and last name and expiry dates of passports are crucial details. Get ur visa printed and passed it to the customs staff. I arrived in ihram and was cleared in minutes.. My baggage collection took longer than than passport clearance. Alhamdullilah
Muslim Travel Girl
great to hear mashaAllah
Jalil
Assalamualaikum brothers n sisters. I’m in Makkah right now. Arriving in Ihram with tourist visa has totally zero problem. I’m Singaporean. Took a Budget flight from Singapore to Chennai and flew SAUDIA from Chennai on the 8th December. Immigration was heavy in Jeddah. Went to lady at immigration control and was greeted with Salam. Went thru my passport and visa. Only question asked was “What’s your flight number” finger print taken and picture captured. Within 5mins was out of immigration. And for those still on doubt about this tourist visa,
Here’s a genuine proven scenario. All the best guys. And for your info, save quite a sum compared to Umrah visa.
Muslim Travel Girl
Fantastic
Mohammad Nadeem Qureshi
Brother thanks for providing detail. do they ask for vaccinations? I am traveling in January
Muslim Travel Girl
they don’t
Ahad
Salam,
Hope all is well, I would just like some guidance from you.
I just applied for umrah for myself, wife and daughter to go on January 9th, 2020. I’m Canadian, daughter is American and my wife is Pakistani with a Canadian PR. We are all traveling from Canada.
I was under the impression that my wife could also apply for the Tourist Umrah visa and I filled out the form, picking canada as nationality for her as I could not select Pakistan on the basis of her having a Canadian PR card.
First Question: All 3 visas got instantly approved, it seemed too good to be true and now I’m wondering will I have any trouble at the border and should I open a ticket to ask them about this?
Second Question: All 3 visas have the 3 different passport numbers, however the name at the bottom shows only my name (husband) but with all our pictures corresponding with the passport number. Is this normal? I filled out our names in the group application correctly so I hope I won’t have any issues.
I’m happy all 3 visas got approved but I’m just worried I’ll run into issues at the border.
Muslim Travel Girl
Salams, you need to apply for your wife in the Embassy or issue an Umrah visa. This visa will not be valid for her so you will have a problem in the airport. She needs to apply as category B which according to some comments is possible in the embassy. If you apply as Umrah visa you need to apply for yourself too since you are her mahram.
Muslim
Salam Brother,
Please never do that …. Saudi rules are strict and you wife application said Canadian but she some out as Pakistani it will have serious consequences at the immigration as your wife’s eVisa will be considered fake or misleading etc.
Please get and proper eVisa with stating Pakistan passport and/or get an Umrah Visa. May Allah take care and protect us from unforeseen circumstances.
Regards,
Muslim
Muslim Travel Girl
The guide says you can’t do Hajj, I would say open a ticket and ask them. I don’t see an issue as tourists you can visit the country during that time but I am not the person who decides for the Umrah.
Hala
I am also planning on going on June 10, 2020. So about 2-3 weeks after Ramadan. Do you think I can perform umrah then? Who should I contact to confirm?
hana
Thanks a lot sister , this blog has helped a lot of us ,I am applying for myself a female with 2 small children , am i wright to say that i have to apply for my visa first , once it come back then apply for kids ,i am not able to upload 3 applications under group so i was thinking of doing it under individual. by after saving my application and not paying for the visa , i tried to fill in my childs application but it says need to apply for guardian first.
also sorry asking same question again but is there an option for mum under guardian …not able to see when people have uploaded pics of guardian being father son brother etc
Muslim Travel Girl
You need to do the application as a group. Then you list yourself as guardian, there is no mother option there. You can do them individually just don’t pay for yours and then pay all together.
hana
MANY THANKS sister for all the help ,may Allah give you jaza e khair
just completed the application
if it helps anyone , initially i found the application under group a bit fiddly ,couldnt find where to add in children at the end, i thus deleted and logged out and started the application from very begining as follows:
Go to group and add in your details and then fill the application to almost the end where it asks you to tick and then option to pay , do not tick the disclaimer ,just see under it is a tiny option saying “save and add a member” , thus click that and add children ,i added my 2 kids and after finishing adding all members ,payment option comes where by i paid in full for the whole group,
i received the visa withing 15 minutes alhamduAllah
by the way just to let you single mums know , i applied for myself and kids and when you fill in the children’s application after filling your own ie the above process , it automatically generates that you are the guardian and option of mother, sister or grandmother comes on the list.
hope this helps our sisters and generally everyone.
Muslim Travel Girl
Thank you for this
Farah
JazakAllahu khayr for sharing brother . Re: point 6 . Can you put down the mother as guardian ? According to Elena’s post , only Father , Husband , Brother and Grandfather are available to select from the drop down menu -has this changed ? Thank you.
Elena , thanks so much for Athens informative article Is any update on single sisters applying for a tourist visa for their children , not travelling with an adult male. Jazakillahukhayr..
Muslim Travel Girl
Yes, you can put mother as guardian.
Amran Rahman
I had same issue went and performed umrah on the tourist visa with no issues.
Afzal
My last name and my father name is Abdullah.. Now I have 2 Abdullahs on my visa. Is that an issue?
I’m freaking out here.. Help
Muslim Travel Girl
According to previous posters it is not an issue, however someone commented yesterday saying the team told them the visa is invalid.
Afzal
Hi Muslim travel girl.. They have been telling me its not allowed. However some posters says it alright. There’s no way they can reject the visa when I have a flight out next week. Perhaps the support team doesn’t understand the issue. I wouldn’t say it’s an incorrect name. What’s other alternatives are there?
Takhliq Khan
Assalam O Alaykum sister,
Thank you so much for all your help. Alhamdu Lillah, i applied for myself, my wife and 2 sons few minutes ago and we have been granted the visas. It took less than 5 minutes for the approval to come through. We are leaving the US on December 25th and flying into Madinah. We are grateful for your tutorial about the process and we thank Allah swt for this opportunity. Blessings to all.
Sahar
Hi has anyone faced visit Visa to saudia rejection . We are a family of four applied as a family for visit visa for umrah purpose on 25 November our visa came the next day but my son‘s visa got rejected he’s 18 year old British National . I thought maybe his age is a factor they don’t want to give him a year visit visa as there is no reason given on rejection.
We are applying for his umrah visa now which is for 30 days hopefully InshaAllah it is accepted .
Has anyone faced this since the new visa policy
Syed
Hello,
I have question regarding E visa. Once the e visa is issues and if we landed in Jeddah, can we drive to Medina first and after fees days later, can we come to Mecca and do the Umrah. Will there be any objections ? Please advise
Aysha
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Salam sister
I have got my visa and planned to perform Umrah in December with a group InshaAllah. But I am worried whether there will be any problem with regards to not having any mahram? Have you heard any experience sister performed umrah alone without any problem?
JazakhAllah kahyran for your blogs. Very useful and informative
Muslim Travel Girl
your tourist visa allows you to perform Umrah.
ars
Thank you so much for all this information. May God bless you.
Question: Has anyone here from Group B countries (but with US/Schengen visa) been able to get the multiple entry tourist visa that is valid for 1 year? Or do they issue single entry only?
Thanks,
Arsal
Muslim Travel Girl
Yes apparently they have. They had an agent take all the paperwork in the embassy. But i think you might be able to do it yourself?
Gualmnabi
Waleykumsalam, can you please let me know which airline you fly with as I am flying with emirates from Sydney
jazakhAllah
Muslim Travel Girl
Emirates is a perfectly good airline. I have flown various ones into Saudi with no problem
Rizwan Khan
Thats correct!! I went under group b, agent registered my application online (authorized aportal for agents) and following day submitted the required documents at Saudi embassy in London..
They not just managed to do it but they did it on the same day!! Even agent was surprised…
Rizwan Khan
Hello –
I can confirm that I was able to get the Tourist Visa on Pakistani Passport from London UK.
Agent submitted documents to Embassy in morning around 9am, and visa was processed and stamped on the same day. Agent’s courier collected the passport at 3pm on the same day. It was super quick service. 🙂
Nur
do we just print out in A4 colored paper and show it to the immigration?
Jaleel
I think your friend took Emirates. I heard that’s the rule with Emirates that you can’t be in Ihram when you board the flight. However with Saudia Airlines it’s not a problem
Sameera
Asw sister a very informative site mashallah. Currently on the phone to uk Saudi embassy (holding forever lol) as I wanted to ask about the vaccinations and if compulsory but having read above you say it is not which is good but definitely good idea to take anyway.
One question, how long do the visas take to actually come through? My hubby has decided last minute to maybe go beginning of December so just over 2 weeks time. I’m a bit worried it may take a while.
Jzk for your help in advance
Muslim Travel Girl
Salams, you read on the vaccination but missed that it takes a few minutes for the tourist visa to be issued. 🙂
Juned
السلام عليكم
I wanted to get clarification on the vaccination rules as there was nothing in regards to it when i applied for the e-visa.
Wondering if it is just recommended or a requirement?
Would appreciate if someone could share their personal experience on this, did they ask to see the certificate when u landed etc…
if given the choice i would rather not get it done.
جزاك اللهُ
Muslim Travel Girl
You don’t need it as I stated above, but it’s your call on the tourist visa. On Umrah visa you do need it as you can be asked for the certificate.
Naila
Aslaamalykum I masha Allah have been to umrah for 16 days on the new tourist visa along with my husband masha allah it was amazing the visa was granted in minutes
I applied for my uncles tourist visa i have not received a response I do not know what’s happening how can I find out
Do u get email if its rejected
Umer Malik
Dear Rizwan,
Please can you share details of the agent?
Kamran Khan
I’m a Pakistani passport holder and have an active US B1/B2 visa valid for next 4 years (I traveled to US last year)
However, I can’t get e-visa from KSA website – “Pakistan” doesn’t appear there. There is an option to chat and the Chat support told me there is no such policy for Pakistan.
So sad, they’ve 6 months EXTENSION for US passport holder but Pakistan doesn’t even appear. They should ask US for military help instead of Pakistan, the next time.
Muslim Travel Girl
Sadly you can’t that is misinformation
Muhammad
Can anyone who got e-visa rejected please share their experience, did you re-apply or were you able to contact consulate or able to get umrah visa?
Mohammed Shareef
Hello Muhammad, I had my and my 2 daughters visa rejected. My wifes visa came in 3 minutes. I am nit sure what to do now, i am thinking of going without a visa and use the Visa on arrival service, has anyone used the Visa on arrival service ?
Muslim Travel Girl
People have used the on arrival service but not after rejection as far as I know! It is risky to be turned away in Jeddah. You will have to issue an Umrah visa for yourself and your two daughters, unfortunately.
Rizwan Khan
So I paid a visit to London Saudi embassy to find out more, however i was told at the gate that only agents can enter in Saudi embassy for visa services, additionally gatekeeper provided me the details of an agent who can help to apply for tourist evisa on Pakistani passport. I contacted that agent who confirmed that they are authorized to apply for tourist visa for group b countries.
Muslim Travel Girl
let us know how it goes with the agent
Imran Ullah
Salam!
My wife and sister are going for Umrah and we have received Umrah e-visa (paper visa) now.
There is a problem on Umrah e-visa paper that the photos of both wife and sister are interchanged with each other. Means, on my wife’s visa there is photo of my sister and on my sister’s visa there is photo of my wife.
Can we travel for Umrah from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia?
JazakAllah
Muslim Travel Girl
This is a human error so your agent needs to sort it.
Shaikh Zafar Ali
Alhamdulillah, what a great experience, very easy, simple and quick way to get the visa and travel. Let’s go Makkah and Madina again and again.
Muslim Travel Girl
Select all.
Muslim Travel Girl
Yes we did with no problem. There are several people who went now for Umrah from Qatar without issue.
Amir Riaz
Salaam sister,
I am planning diy umrah with my father who has lung cancer and my mother who has leukaemia, we have not been before and are travelling from uk. I have read through your blog numerous times but could still do with your advice:
1. I’m doing visas at moment but struggling to upload pictures, I managed to upload mine as I have used digital picture sent by max spielman for which there is confirmation of upload but ones taken on my phone don’t upload as I Don’t get confirmation.
2. I am having issues booking hotels through booking.com or similar sites as I don’t have a credit card only a debit card. I’m really stuck with this, I could pay in full with AccorHotels before I go to Makkah but In madinah I want to stay at Elaf al majeedi but not sure if they will do prepayment. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
3. We will arrive in Jeddah at 00.20 and will be in state of ihram. Probably going to get to Makkah around3-4, would it be possible to preform umrah straightaway or rest in hotel and do it after fajar depending on what time it is. Don’t know if I will be able to keep my eyes off Kaaba sharif till fajar.
May Allah bless you for your efforts, your Brother Amir
Muslim Travel Girl
Salams, not sure why you can’t upload the photo, maybe try and crop it yourself. Make sure it is bright and on white background. For the hotel, I always say it’s better to have a credit card as you are protected from fraud. Some sites, like hotels.com and booking.com have an option for reserving and paying at hotel, this will be your best choice. Not sure if your Elaf is included though.
With regards to Umrah you can do straight away after you check-in and leave your bags if you are not tired. no problem there. I hope you have a good Umrah and your parents get shifa
Fahad
Use paint software on Windows machine to change the size of the pic.
It should be 200 x 200
And then try uploading it, it should be fine.
Any issues let me know….
Muslim
I meant how early we can apply ? Should we apply now ? We planning for March 2020.
Muslim Travel Girl
the visa is valid for 1 year, you can apply as soon as you like, if you apply now it means you have until Oct 2020 if you apply in march 2020 you have until 21.
Muslim Travel Girl
Please read above it is not compulsory
Muslim Travel Girl
Great! Thank you
Zafar
AOA,
I would be grateful if anyone could help me in this regard.
I filled the application with my personal information mentioning my given name AAA and last name CCC as per passport. i do not have any middle name. but at the place of father name/middle name i wrote my father name BBB. Alhamdulila i got the evisa. Now my evisa shows my name as AAABBBCCC. I am just wondering that i would not face any problem at the airport as now my name on the evisa is a long name starting with my given name father name last name while passport shows only the given name and last name. i sent them ticket and someone responded that it won’t be a problem but i am still confused. I would be grateful if someone could assist me in this regard.
Muslim Travel Girl
shouldn’t be an issue.
Amad
Salam as for the middle name if you don’t have one just leave it blank also if your name doesn’t have your father’s name in it leave that blank also its not compulsory this is what I was advised by sending an email regarding this matter hope it helps.
Wasalaam
Amran Rahman
Assalamwalikum, I had the same issue and I raised a ticket to which they replied within 10mins, and said it’s not an issue and as long as your first name and surname is correct it’s not an issue. Best to raise a ticket for your own peace of mind.
Imran
Salam ,
I was looking for some information and came across this platform, I would like some advice
I am British citizen and have planned to perform umrah inshallah, plan is I am flying to Pakistan and take my Mother with me who resides in Pakistan, question is if I get E visa for Saudi Arabia can I fly from Pakistan airport for umrah, they might ask me as I would be going for umrah and this is visit visa, and I can be in difficult situation please advise
Looking forward
Jazakkallah
Muslim Travel Girl
you can fly from anywhere you want, its a tourist visa, mostly not just for Umrah but it is allowed. So should be OK people have done it
Wasaf
I am able to issue tourist for myself but as I’ve tried to describe having issues with mom’s passport which is Pakistani but she has leave to remain in United Kingdom. All the major news outlets and websites state tourist visa is available to those with UK US visas for example. When raising a ticket they say sorry this is not true. The system makes you choose a nationality from the 49 countries to proceed. So bit in limbo if you will.
JazakAllah for the prompt responses and great blog Mash’Allah.
Muslim Travel Girl
OH! I see. I am sorry this is a hard choice, but you can issue her with an Umrah visa soon for a similar price so this is a good solution as they accept leave to remain.
Zafar
Yes I did brother rather I sent them ticket thrice a time explaining them that I don’t have a middle name and just wrote my father name thinking that they are asking for it. They replied back each time that it wouldn’t be an issue if given nMe and last name are as per passport. This is an amazing forum and o would appreciate the time and effort of admin.
fatima
hi
i wanna ask as we have the evisa, and the estimated date that we entered into the system. do we have to arrive by that date. what about if we arrive later/earlier than the date.
do you know exactly when you are arriving there and did you book hotel as well?
thanks in advance!
Muslim Travel Girl
not an issue
Aisha
Salaams sis can you please advise? My mum, husband and myself are hoping to travel for umrah in a week’s time. My mum has got her visa straight away but my husbands visa got rejected….and mine is still under process.
The agent told me the embassy hadn’t put down ant reason, we are baffled and obviously very disappointed. Insha Allah he will re-apply tomorrow? What are your thoughts?
Me and my mum have both been before but husband has never been. All British. Btw these are tourist visas that the agents are doing.
Muslim Travel Girl
sadly there is not much can be done, and the embassy might not be helpful. He can apply for Umrah visa I believe. I hope you sorted everything
Minad
salams did you manage to reapply for the same visa and get a result? Im having same problem all my families visa granted apart for mine and my son
minad
Salams sister can you let us know if yoiur husband re-applied for the tourist visa and what the outcome was. We are in the same position. JazakAllah
fatima
assalam alykum thank you so much for the informative article.
can you please tell me the difference between these two websites.
first one is just on google and second link is per your above.
https://visa.visitsaudi.com/Visa/
thank you
Muslim Travel Girl
Yes, one is government and the other a company trying to look official. Not good! I have removed the link
Ahri
I want to apply, I am UK citizen living in South Africa – will this affect the application or do I need to apply from UK. Also, can I apply on behalf of other people. I will not be travelling.
Muslim Travel Girl
As long as you are a UK citizen you ok.
Ghias
Thanks for all your help!
Me and my wife got our visa ALH but having issues getting visa for our two kids as the link doesn’t seem to work. I have raised a ticket. You have any ideas?
Muslim Travel Girl
You will have to wait for the ticket reply.
Ayesha
Can e visa get I edited? We applied for e visa but agent made a mistake in attaching pictures.. We were not able to travel as date was 7 october. Is it possible to correct an e visa. Plz ans soon.
Muslim Travel Girl
Unfortunately, you cannot edit the visa, you will have to issue a new one from my understanding.
Ahmed
Hello Sister,
I read following news today.
http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/579643/SAUDI-ARABIA/Nationals-other-than-from-49-countries-can-avail-tourist-visa-online
But there is no option to apply online for countries other than 49 countries. I hold visa from shcengen countries and living in schengen country. Do you have any news regarding this.
Muslim Travel Girl
you can it asks you where you are resident
A Khan
Salaam. My visa online for umrah got rejected. I have been before with no problems. No email was sent, but the status changed from processing to rejected.
I raised a ticket and they simply said I need to go to the consulate as the web team dont know why it got rejected.
Can anyone help please?
Muslim Travel Girl
Unfortunately there is not much can be done unless you go to the consulate and try there. Or you can try and issue an Umrah visa.
Asif
Mine got rejected twice and they charged me each time. I also raised a ticket but they told me to contact the embassy in London. I’m not hopeful that they will help.
My wife and children all got accepted except me.
I’m not impressed by this new system.
muhammad rashid
mine was rejected today and said go to embassy ? what happen if i will go to london or what have u done and fee paid 95 pounds ? wasted
Muslim Travel Girl
Get an agent to try and issue it or go to embassy and show them all your documents. They don’t give a reason
Muhammad
Dito for me. Applied for myself, wife and kids. In 4 minutes wife got visa in email. Never received any other emails. Checked in the portal and it shows “visa rejected” in front of my name and all kids. 🙁
Raised a ticket but agents saying they cannot tell why it got rejected and contact embassy,
Tried contacting embassy several times, no response either.
Not sure what to do at this point.
Muslim Travel Girl
try for an Umrah visa i guess. not sure to be honest, check with an agent
Minad
Similar situation happened with me. Myself and one of my kids got rejected whilst others got accepted. No reason for rejection and from my understanding the system never gives a rejection. I tried to contact Embassy and after various attempts and hours waiing on hold for someone to pick up – they told me its nothing to do wotih them as it is a tourist visa and to contact the ministry of tourism. Basically nobody knows why its refusing some and accepting others. To me it seems its just random rejections. Only thing common with my rejections i noticed was me and my son both had the name “mohammed” in. I know various systems throughout the world has algorithms built in to riase alarms soon as the name “mohammed”or similar spelling to it is put in – it raises various alarms. Allah knows best. My next plan of action is to apply for Umrah visa for myself and son. InshaAllah that goes through.
Aly Memon
Salam sis, do we need to show our hotel booking when applying for a tourist visa? Or can I book the hotel after the visa has arrived.
Muslim Travel Girl
You can but they ask for a hotel,so just give the details of the one you plan to stay
Abdul
First of all Jazak Allah Khair for all the great information you share. May Allah bless you for all the generosity.
Quick Question: I understand there is no restriction on performing the Ummrah on the new Tourist e-Visa. But I’m just concerned will they allow me and my family (wife and 2 kids) to enter Saudi in the state of Ahramon the new Tourist e-Visa? (we are planning to go for Ummrah in coming December).
Muslim Travel Girl
If you worry just go to Medinah first but it shouldn’t be an issue.
Ghias Shafi
Hi there- I logged on the apply for the tourist visa and they require photographs with dimensions 200 x200 etc and size 5 to 100 kb. How can I upload the passport photo’s? Would I need to attend a shop and tell them to give me a digital copy?
bw
Muslim Travel Girl
you can just take a good photo on your phone and apply, this is what i did with all ours.
Minad
Thank yoo veyr much sister may Allah swt reward you abundantly for your efforts and all the information you provide for us. Just wanted to clarify can the photos be taken without white background or is it as stricly as what they have said on their photo requirements, for example it says phto needs to be 200 x 200 and in white background etc. Thank you
Muslim Travel Girl
Mine got accepted as you can see in the photo. it was brown background
Bilal
Has anyone actually done umrah yet on this tourist visa? As I was about to pay 250 pounds per person until I read this article.
Also I am aiming to travel next month from the UK. What vaccine certificates do we need if any?
Kind regards
Muslim Travel Girl
Yes, many have
ali
salam, applied for tourist visa online on 3rd oct and received within one hour via email. travelled to saudia the very next day on my car from Kuwait – no issues though I think they were not ready for the new visa but very friendly. with regards to doing ummrah on tourist visa, I don’t think its allowed as per the news on Kuwait times .. please check out the link:
ali
sorry just to add , when you apply the charge is $189 (that includes health insurance)
Muslim Travel Girl
It is allowed the law stands as is at the moment. I know that the Hajj ministry and agents weren’t happy though.
A Iqbal
According to a reply to a question I posted on their website Umrah is allowed. It will be interesting for anyone who has been able to complete their Umrah on the visit visa to tell us about their experience here.
ِAlbtool Albleahid (Visit Saudi)
Oct 6, 22:07 +03
Thank you for contacting us,
Concerning your query, It is possible to perform Umrah through the tourist visa. Bear in mind that Umrah cannot be performed during Hajj season.
For further information never hesitate to contact us
we hope you a pleasant tourist experience in Saudi Arabia
Zeeshan
Asalam-oelikum Sister,
Congratulations on your visa.
did you have to upload your hotel booking or just provide the information of the hotel you were planning to stay at?
Jzk
Zeeshan
Muslim Travel Girl
Just info on the hotel
Mariam
Dear MTG
I’m having difficulties in filling up my son application..when I tried to fill up the guardian ..there is nothing for me to select apart from guardian relation there is example father, brother,mother etc..
Did I miss anything..
Muslim Travel Girl
Sadly not, I am not sure how you do it just put guardian or raise a ticket with the team.
Syed Muzaffar Ahmed
Assalamualaikum Sister.
Thanks so much for your noble effort.
It seems that there is a maximum cap on the numbers (15 max?) for the ‘Last Name or Family Name’ field. The system is not allowing me to type my daughter’s name completely and the last letter of her name keeps dropping off.
IS there any contact/email where I can discuss this issue?
Thanks
Muslim Travel Girl
they have a support system so you can raise a ticket
Syed Muzaffar Ahmed
Thanks so much. Raised a ticket and waiting…fingers crossed.
Muslim Travel Girl
let us know what they said
Samreen
Aoa sister,
What about visa on arrival for British passport holders. Though it state on their website but they dont mention the cost. Have u any idea! Is e visa cheaper or on arrival.
JazakAllah
Muslim Travel Girl
would assume it is the same price!
Nasir
Salam to all, today I applied for a visit visa the application was simple and easy to fill Left blank the question about your middle name or father name , and after exactly 9 minutes later I received the confirmation that We are glad to inform you that your application has been approved, so I must thank the sister who runs the website and all of you to make it easy for us by sharing information I am very happy if any one has any problem in filling the application please reply although the application is very easy and simple
Kind regards
Fauzana
Assalamualaikum brother
Can u update here once you ve completed your umrah with this visa? My family and i plan to go in January but we are not sure how well it goes as it was recently implemented. I have done DIY umrah twice with umrah visa. Alhamdulillah all went well
Muslim Travel Girl
Many people have since they started with no issue.
Saqib Raza
Reposting the question in case you missed the earlier one. What times of the year will one be able to perform umrah using the evisa, or can one simply enter Makkah at any time. Specifically, what times post Ramadhan and prior to(/during) Hajj will be able to visit for umrah. I’d really appreciate if you are able to clarify.
Muslim Travel Girl
all year apart fro, Hajj
Asad
Salaam Alaikum,
So the evisa is for 49 countries only, but for the less cool countries, such as India, how to we go about getting a tourist visa ? Consulate isn’t that helpful in LA.
Any suggestion or help ?
Muslim Travel Girl
sadly the embassy is the only option or Umrah visa
Sayaka Jahan
salam,
I cant seem to work out how to make a group booking (there is 5 of us),
Please can you give me some guidance?
Muslim Travel Girl
click on group and add them
Afj
I booked my umrah package in August to travel in october- not realising that the rules would change before i travelled. i paid 970£ pp for 11 nights, flights, hotels, visa, transportation.
after the new laws came out they asked me for a further 130pp because of new visa fee and paying pp per night in mecca and Madina (£6-7), do you know anything about this new cost?
I’m not sure if this was a way of the umrah agent taking advantage or if this is the real situation. I am still awaiting my umrah visa but feel a bit silly after this tourist visa has been implemented. Khair.
Muslim Travel Girl
they said they will start charging tourist charge so yes.
Hajra
So can we use tourist visa only for Umrah, and fly directly to Jeddah?
Muslim Travel Girl
yes
adilah
You have said £120 and have also said £93 for the tourist visa, Have I misread it?
jzk
Muslim Travel Girl
420 SAR is the price
Umm Anas
Salam
I need a clarification, I’m single mother of two. When I saw this new e visa, I was happy but then I read your article that children need male guardian? I need to take my kids with me. How can I get help on this please?
JazakhAllah
Muslim Travel Girl
You can others have applied with female mum. I would raise a ticket and ask but for me the logical option will be guardian. however just raise a ticket and ask the team, also let us know 🙂
Hajra
I raised a ticket a few minutes ago and just got my reply (very fast!)! They said that mother can be listed as guardian.
gulzar
Salam
Ive faced a number of problems with the website. please help me find solutions
1. I couldn’t complete the medical insurance because it doesn’t give me an option on bupa site to select non saudi or non expat . which is the best website to choose ?
2. I wanted to book family so i selected group but how do i insert my other family members?
3. I entered my name as group name, prior to that had incomplete application which i discarded. but now when i enter my name n the group name it says its already in used despite that fact that i deleted it. what do i do now if i enter any name from my family ?
thanks
Muslim Travel Girl
1. insurance is included
2. it has add members option if you look closely
3. the group name is not required to be the family it can be anything
Muhammad
JazakAllah sister for sharing this. Just wanted to share my experience as I have been following your blog for the past 7 months from Canada and it encouraged me to do my first Umrah with my wife. I booked my tickets and hotels in July and was waiting for Umrah visa to open. As it will be my first Umrah so I was and am still really nervous.
Got all our vaccinations done in July as well. I had a very stressful August and September as agents started telling me that you have to book the complete package and tickets through us as Saudia has stopped DIY Umrah process, and they won’t do visa only. I cancelled my tickets with big $800 penalty but hotels were non-refundable. 3rd week of September, one of the agents called me saying that they can do Visa only but will charge $450 per person. If we want to book transportation, it will be $1800 for 2 people with visas. When I questioned about upcoming tourist visa, they said it’s not available yet and even if Saudia starts issuing them, you can’t do Umrah on it.
Two days later, I saw the news on various blogs including yours about the tourist visa. The original flight we booked was now $900 expensive per ticket so I booked one with a long layover this Saturday. Then I applied for a Tourist visa for both my wife and myself and got our e-visas within 5 minutes. Total cost was CAD $164 per person including visitor insurance.
I would like to answer some of the questions your readers have asked.
1) Yes, Umrah is allowed on this visa as during application process it asks the additional purpose of the visit.
2) If you need to scroll to past or previous years quicky, click on the year to scroll left or right. Once you reach the desired year, click the month and you should be able to select the date quickly.
3) The thing I personally struggled with was picture upload. Basically, the screen doesn’t confirm that the picture has been uploaded or not so I kept on retrying for 10 minutes as my picture was per specs (200x200px) and less than 100kb. Eventually, I just filled the details on the bottom and clicked Next, and it worked. Seems like the user interface doesn’t confirm if the picture was uploaded and accepted or not.
4) I took my wife’s picture with Hijab as recommended by family members but then noticed the photo specifications stating that pictures should be without headgear. Exceptions granted for religious reasons and that shoulders, cheeks and face from chin to forehead should be visible so I supplied another picture of her without hijab to be on the safe side.
5) Once visas are issued, Insurance Policy and Relevant Information can be downloaded after logging in and clicking on links next to the applicant. Mine is from Arabian Shield Insurance and it will be activated on the expected arrival date that was supplied during the application.
Now looking forward to catching Careem and Uber from the Airport as I didn’t book any transportation from any website or travel agent.
Alhamdulillah, my wife and I are excited to go on this spiritual and blessed journey. I request you and your readers to make dua for us that it goes smoothly.
Muslim Travel Girl
I hope your Umrah went well.
Al
I’ve just booked my Tourist visa thanks for your help. It was a bit tricky but I noticed they automatically downsize the picture to fit so don’t worry about 200×200 it worked for me.
Also the medical insurance is valid in all major hospitals that have insurance it’s all part of the visa and helping tourists which is amazing.
Just looking forward to Umrah and may be Saudi sight seeing : )
Hassan
Hi MTG awesome blog btw
I can’t log in activation code won’t send it timed our while I was trying to upload pic site is a nightmare. I tried for hours trying to log in. Even tried with another email just won’t send activation link how on earth are you meant to apply? Has anyone else experienced this meltdown… they really need to spend a bit more money for this substandard system.
Muslim Travel Girl
sorry i haven’t, send them a ticket?
Abdullah
Asa Sister, jzk for the article, very informative and helpful.
Please can you confirm that when you applied online:
1) which options did you select for your purpose of visit? Tourism, relatives and family, umrah?
There is an option to select one option or multiples
2) did you have to upload your hotel booking or just provide the information of the hotel you were planning to stay at?
Appreciate your help with the questions
جزاك الله خيرا
Muslim Travel Girl
You can choose either one, i put tourism i think, others put Umrah and others all of the above.
You don’t need reservation
Mohammad
Aww.
sister hope you are well, firstly i woul like to say Mashallah the Blog is great, May Allah show you more succsess
ive recived my tourist visa, in the name section for some reason it shows my name then my fathers name then the surname, is it suposed to be like that ? little worried
Muslim Travel Girl
It is ok
Adam
Salaam sister. Looks like meningitis vaccine is not a requirement any more if going for Umrah on the new tourist visa?
JazakAllah kharian for the informative post!
Muslim Travel Girl
it might not, but i won’t risk it personally.
Adam
Risk it health wise or to prevent a possible denied entry?
Muslim Travel Girl
Healthwise, it is not needed for visa.
Abdullah
Asa Sister, jzk for the article, very informative and helpful.
Please can you confirm that when you applied online:
1) which options did you select for your purpose of visit? Tourism, relatives and family, umrah?
There is an option to select one option or multiples
2) did you have to upload your hotel booking or just provide the information of the hotel you were planning to stay at?
Appreciate your help with the questions
جزاك الله خيرا
MA
Salam,
JZK for the detail info. I have a question on the name that appear on eVisa. While filing the application, I provided my father’s name so when eVisa was issued it has the name in below format:
Since passport has only first and last name, will it be a problem at port of entry or with airline? Is it considered as name mismatch? Please let me know how to rectify this if you know as FAQ says that once visa is issued, it can’t be modified. Thanks in advance.
MA
I think format is omitted in my post, trying again
myfirstname fathername mylastname
Mohammad
Aww,
ive had the same isuue, its come up as
MyName FathersName Suranme
Muslim Travel Girl
I have a fathers name on my passport. I put it in. Not sure about yours but if your first and last match as in your passport and everything else then should be ok. You can also email them.
MA
Father’s name is not listed on the US passport. I emailed them but no response. Is there any link available for online chat as it is indicated on their website to contact them using different method including online chat but I don’t find that on the website. Thanks.
Muslim Travel Girl
No worries you don’t need fathers name
MA
Father’s name is not listed on US passport. I have sent an email but no response yet. Is there any link to online chat as indicated on their website? I tried but I couldn’t find online chat link anywhere in their website. Thanks.
Muslim Travel Girl
there is no chat, you dont need the fathers name is not in passport
MAA
Thank you for contacting us,
Thanks for waiting and apologize for the delay, regarding your inquiry, the father’s name field is not required but if you fill it out and the visa is issued with the father’s name, there is no problem with that.
But it is important that the first and last names are correct and identical to the passport.
From the visa team this is what they sent me
AHMED
Salaam sister mabrook to everyone very good news indeed and thanks for the details you mentioned in your article just one question I am planning to go for umrah in Ramadan inshallah can I apply for the tourist visa now and keep it or you think it’s too early yet just because I was wondering they might change the rules later on.
Jazakallah
Muslim Travel Girl
It’s up to you.
Gulzar
Salam,
we are a family of 6 to go umrah and may also go other places in Saudi.
Do i book for the visa individually or group-which ask for a group name which I dont have.
What the best way to to this individually or group ?
Muslim Travel Girl
you can book individuals or create a group- i just added the surname the group is just for the payment to go in one lump sum.
Rather not say
Okay, forgive me but I asking for someone.
She wants to use the e-visa for Umrah, she wants to travel alone. Is this okay?
Also, she wants to do Umrah and also do all the things that are usually associated with Hajj. She knows that usually one can only do Hajj during a few days in August, but apparently the Qu’ran does not state this…before this goes into a debate on if she is correct or not and the meaning of Hajj. Can it technically be done, to travel as a solo female with Umrah as the purpose of the e-visa and do all necessary things usually associated with Hajj?
Muslim Travel Girl
Can she go alone, yes! Can she do the rest… ask a sheikh
Abdul Aziz
Thanks for your support, your website was key to apply for our tourist visa for family of 4. Alhamdulillah received our visa after couple of hours of application last night, really very excited as we always heard you go when you are called to visit House of Allah,
Muslim Travel Girl
alhumdulillah please my family in your duas
Mohammed
Please can you respond and let us know if you got into Saudia Arabia with the tourist visa to perform umrah.
Jzk
Muslim Travel Girl
people have been
Nasser
Salaam, thank you for posting. You say here that Canadian residents are eligible, but in their website it does not mention Canada on the eligible country list. Could you please clarify.
Thank you again,
May Allah reward you for your efforts 🙂
Muslim Travel Girl
please look closer it’s there
Tasleem
Salam sister , May Allah swt reward you for your efforts . I have my tickets booked for December for umrah only. Insha Allah . Can Me and my family apply through tourist visa online ? ( I have British passport ) if so , I plan to go to Medina first ? Do I only write Medina hotel ?
Also Has anyone visited Saudi Arabia for umra since with the tourist visa ? How did they find it ? Jazaak Allah khair
Muslim Travel Girl
Yes many people have visited on tourist visa. You only need one hotel with the visa, this is standard for any visa when you apply and travel around the country.
Siad Ugradar
Sallams,
Thank you for a very informative article, I just have one question do you have to take the health insurance or can you have your own?
Muslim Travel Girl
it is in the post, please read it. they provide it
Aziz
Salaams, would like to clarify if I can travel with family from uk with tourist visa for umrah during december holidays.
I have booked a diy package with flights and hotels from different providers.
I just dont want to have the trouble upon arrival to explain why I have tourist visa if intention is for umrah.
Please could you confirm that this is fine. Jzk
Muslim Travel Girl
I cannot confirm other than what i mentioned above and what their site states
Nasir
Can anyone advise if you can travel by Land Border on an Evisa….I’m a UK national and resident of UAE so will I be able to drive my own car on an Tourist Evisa?
Muslim Travel Girl
not sure, better to email and ask
AWAIS SALAHUDDIN
It’s great for Cat A passport holders like me in the UK but not so much for Cat B passport holders like my wife, who is a pakistani passport holder.
I am told i need to vist the Saudi Consulate/Embassy in London. Their website still needs updating with the new tourist visa information. I will need to call them to gather the information I need to find what I need to do. As, I have not booked flights or Accomodation yet due to this quandry.
Another question is..do you still need to book accomodation via their pre approved list mentoned on the other blog post or can you use booking/hotels.com?
Muslim Travel Girl
no i think you can book any now. the requirements are above but good to re confirm
Reem
hello did you get any information on your wife’s visa status?
Zaheer Ahmad
Dear Awais,
Have you got any update from the Saudi Embassy in London? I have a similar situation. I called the Saudi Consulate in Frankfurt and they told me its not possible to get a tourist visa for Pakistani nationals. When I called the Saudi Embassy in Berlin, they told me it is possible and I should apply via VFS Tasheel.
Adil
I can not find anywhere is FAQ that says you can perform Umrah with this tourist visa, I can see that you have put a screen print but that was few days ago. Have they removed that from FAQ now? It would be really helpful if you can put the hyperlink to where it says you are allowed to umrah with this visa.
Muslim Travel Girl
The FAQ is above. the link again
Rosemary Ally
I am on the site and for the life of me I can’t see where visit saudi/visainformation etc is. I can get to the link with the faq but I should be able to get it by just going to visitsaudi.com. Would you be able to walk me thru…I’m sorry I know your are extremely busy.
Muslim Travel Girl
I hope you found it
Nurul Ain
Hi. When you apply for your husband & daughter did you choose individual or group? We are family of 4 from Malaysia planning to do umrah DIY on november do you think it is better to apply individual or group?
Muslim Travel Girl
Book as a group it is pretty easy, and it is the same process it just lets you add more people.
Mohammad
You have to apply as individuals. NOT group. Here is what I received earlier today. Group option is for payment only. See below.
”
Sep 29, 14:07 +03″
Hello Dear,
Thank you for contacting us,
About your inquiry, each family member must submit his/her own application, kids under the age of 18, they will need a guardian to apply for the visa from immediate family member then you can apply for them. When you fill out the forms to them from the “date of birth” selection it will ask you to enter the guardian visa number and then you will can complete the application.
About a group option it is to facilitate the payment process for families or groups. “
Muslim Travel Girl
each application is separate but they do have a group option which i used to apply for husband and daughter.
Tanweer Khan
Salaam
Did you have any difficulty in uploading a photo? i have a 15.9kb JPG file photo that is 200 x 200 ratio, but wont upload
Also its very annoying selecting my Birthday on the calendar, have to go back many many years to find it, would be easier to just input a date
Muslim Travel Girl
I had no issue with all 3 photos i did
Abdul Aziz
if you double click on month it changes to months and years
Fariha Miah
To select a past year birthday, you just click on the year and press the left arrow. That switch allow you to switch between years and decades if i can recall correctly.
Nay
Salaam.
thanks for the informative article and hard work.
want to book umrah for december from the UK.
it does concern me that saudi could change their mind, surely the tourist visa is dated so you can travel within a certain timeframe and as per the terms and conditions the visa you’ve paid for it is valid for umrah?
so there is a level of risk with purchasing a tourist visa for umrah?
Muslim Travel Girl
There is always a risk but i think this time is minimal as it is international and for all countries so not so muslim centred
Kam
Is it easy to obtain visa for family with little kids
Muslim Travel Girl
Yes it took me 5minutes my daughter is an infant no issue
Salina
Salaam, Do you think a tourist will be allowed to perform HAJJ?
Also where is the online chat facility anyone help plz
Muslim Travel Girl
NO! it says it on top
EM
Assalamualaikum, once visa is issued do we need to travel within 30 days?
Muslim Travel Girl
no
Sk
Salaam
Regarding adding mum as a guardian,
I believe it is possible as I processed a group visa and my wife and was listed as the option to select as an guardian for my daughter.
If the Saudis keep this tourist visa then it certainly is a game changer as you can go to any city any time within the period so multiple stays through your the year in Madina it Mecca without issue. Also this visa allows you to hire cars so another brilliant news!
Muslim Travel Girl
Does it allow car hire? Not sure I want to do that but i didn’t find info on it. Good to know re-daughter and mother.
SK
This is why I think you can car hire
https://www.visitsaudi.com/en/getting-around.html
Although I think the locals may need updated rules and regulation as usually on Umrah they do not allow car hire….hopefully the tourist visa nullifies all the misconception!
Regarding uploading photo, did you try the 200px by 200px requirement. I can upload photo based on their size but I did not adjust to the 200 px requirement. Slightly worried they may reject my application based on this.
Muslim Travel Girl
I love my life, wouldn’t dare driving in Saudi lol.
Shaazia
Hi
Are you definite about that. This is very important for me to know as I’m a single mum and I have 2 daughters 12 and 15. Do you think this will be an issue for me.
Thanks in advance.
Yasmin Ahmed
Hi we are family of 4 travelling from uk already booked flights and hotels for Umrah purpose vaccination are done so can I now just apply for the tourist visa and that should be okay or do I have to still book through agent and pay extra cost ?
Muslim Travel Girl
you can book your tourist visa should be ok.
Um Aboodi
Another question…
The period of stay is 90 days. Does that mean you can spend a total of 90 days throughout the one year the visa is valid for? Or does it mean that each time you go there within a year, you can stay for a maximum of 90 days?
Muslim Travel Girl
1 year multiple each stay less than 90 days. I think max up to 180 stayed in the Kingdom.
Muslim Travel Girl
on diff occasions obviously
Um Aboodi
Thank you for the clarification.
Adnan
I think your understanding is incorrect. The 90 day limit is for cumulative stay, over the course of your 1 year visa validity.
Muslim Travel Girl
ok, read the FAQ
Ibrahim
Asalamualkum thank you for this great article I try to register on the vistsaudi website but I have not received a email verification ( I even checked the spam folder) is there a way of contacting them ?
Muslim Travel Girl
There was a contact us and report problem.
Ahmed
Can you please confirm that they dont check for vaccination at the airport for tourist visa if you are going with umrah intentions.
Muslim Travel Girl
can’t under Umrah visa it is still required.
Ahmed
Seems Umrah is not allowed with Tourist Visa.
KhaleejTimes:
Visas will be available online for about $80 (Dh294; SR300), with no restrictions for unaccompanied women as in the past. Access to the Muslim holy cities of Makkah and Madinah is restricted.
Muslim Travel Girl
Please read the full article the restriction is for the non muslims
Qamar Ahmed
For those people still not convinced that Umrah is allowed on this visa please see link below for the terms and conditions
https://visa.visitsaudi.com/Home/TermsConditions’
Clause 8.7 states
8.7 An eVisa is granted solely for tourist purposes or for the purpose of performing a umrah and it is not considered a visa for work. If you are granted an eVisa, you must not take up paid employment during your visit to KSA.
I am sure the agents will not be too happy about the DIY Umrah visa and may spread a lot of misinformation.
I applied for visas for our Umrah trip Insha Allah planned for December and got visas within 5 minutes. (4 adults and 2 children).
Yasmin Ahmed
I really don’t think that they are going to allow entry into Makkah or medina on tourist visa only if these people to be clear in there policy’s that’s Saudis for you
Muslim Travel Girl
according to them and their site and application, we are! Not sure what you mean. They might change their opinion in 5 days but for now we can.
Mohamed hussain
You are amazing travel girl. Quick q can I upload a selfie photo on phone or I have to upload a picture? I’m gonna book diy tonight from London and NO agents this is awesome . Thanks and may Allah bless you.
Muslim Travel Girl
yes but make sure it is good quality
Khalil
Thank you for this. Does this mean that we are able to do umra when usually we were restricted such as immediately after Ramadan and hajj?
Muslim Travel Girl
I am was thinking the same, however I don’t know
Mohammad
Only restriction going towards Makkah is during Haj dates (shouln’t be any problems going before the official dates haj permits begin). Once Haj is done ( I think its the 10/11 Dilhaj ) no one seemed to stop us at the entry check-points.
Muslim Travel Girl
this will be good, i then it will be busy as well.
E
Yes! With the new tourist visa you can enter Saudi Arabia for 90 days during any peroid of time. This may change so please keep up to date.
Saqib Raza
What are the exact hajj dates for 2020 and in general when umrah will not be allowed?
Mohammad Afzal
Asalamu Alikum,
Thank you so much for sharing this information sister. May Allah SWT reward you abundantly.
Do you know if the 90 days of stay is across the whole year, or is that a maximum of 90 days per visit?
JazakAllah Khair
Muslim Travel Girl
i read it per visit, and i think somewhere said max 180 in TOTAL but not in one stay.
LS
How about entering via a different port of entry as the one stated on your Visa.
E.g. A British citizen living in Qatar obtains a tourist Visa and then travels to Saudi from Qatar via Oman
Muslim Travel Girl
fine, i did this 2 years ago no issue.
LS
Thanks for your information. If a visa is issued, will there be any requirements to have vaccinations or injections done? As far as I understand as long as you have a visa and ticket – you’re good to go?
Muslim Travel Girl
i would do the vaccines for health safety
SNA
Assalamualaikum sister.
Thank you for sharing this.
I have a question.
If I’m going to perform the Umrah on end Nov, so by using this new evisa system, now I can start applying the evisa?
Because before this we have to apply 30days before perform the Umrah.
Muslim Travel Girl
yes
Um Aboodi
Assalaamu alaikum,
Jazaakillaahu khairan. A very informative and helpful article, especially as you actually went through the steps yourself. I have a question if you know the answer: do you have to depart from your country of citizenship? If you want to fly directly from another country that you happen to be staying in, I wonder if you can go directly from there.
Muslim Travel Girl
his was never a problem with the umrah visa so i see no issue with the tourist visa. I have done this on Umrah visa.
Um Aboodi
Great to know….thanks again!
Ameera
Salam,
I was just wondering where it says that the tourist visa can be used for Umrah? Would that mean non muslims can now enter Makkah and Madinah? It seems a little contradictory that they would make Umrah visa more complicated and expensive and at the same time allow people to go on Umrah via the cheaper and easier to obtain tourist visa.
Muslim Travel Girl
I am sure they will get checkpoints of sort. I hope so! Well this is Saudi, the list doesnt have many Muslim countries so they still need Umrah visa and by making these restrictions they make sure those go with agent. Not sure why but i think it is a population issue.
Ameera
I couldn’t find anything on the official website that says Umrah can be performed on the new tourist visa though.
Muslim Travel Girl
it is on the FAQ, i added a photo
Ameera
By the way, I just went through the FAQ section and realized that the countries not listed for e-visa can still apply for the 90 day tourist visa through the consulate and it would also let them perform Umrah. Looks like they do not need to go through agents either any more – although they would need hotel reservation and return ticket. This would be cheaper than applying for the Umrah visa!
“Tourists from eligible countries can apply for a tourism visa online through our fast and easy-to-use e-visa portal ahead of their trip, or upon arrival in Saudi Arabia through visa kiosks at immigration.
Tourists from other countries should apply for a consulate visa through Saudi embassies and consulates.”
Muslim Travel Girl
Yes, this is an option but you also need employment letters etc. I will add it to the list though not sure which countries are in category B
Ameera
Also, would that mean vaccinations etc are not necessary for Umrah? So many questions!
Muslim Travel Girl
i would do the vaccines!
Bushra
Asalam Alaykum, First of all, thanks for sharing your experience with new visa system. However, I do not understand why it is harder to do DIY Umrah with tourist visa? Is it because you have to book your hotel during application or what else? Please clarify.
Muslim Travel Girl
Sorry i edited it. you can do Umrah on tourist visa easier.
Fatima
Jazakillah khair elena, thank you for posting this
Shamim
Hi,
Excellent site!
Any idea if we will be able to do Umrah straight after Ramadan with the new tourist visa? I know they don’t issue Umrah visas after Ramadan, was hoping could use the tourist visa to get around this restriction.
Thanks
Muslim Travel Girl
Technically you should be able to from this year yes. We still don’t know but from what the visa rules say you cannot do Hajj, you should be able to do Umrah as it seems there might not be a closure restriction. we will know 100% closer to the time
Asif
Please can you help as have booked flights and hotels all from different providers for umrah at xmas time.
Question is if I went for the tourist visa to perform umrah only, would this be acceptable and not have any problems upon arrival. Reason for tourist visa is it saves half the cost of visa, would this be correct. Jzk
Muslim Travel Girl
Please read the article, it says you can according to the official Saudi site
Adel
Salam
So if we book a tourist visa we can book our own hotels seperately for umrah rite?
Muslim Travel Girl
yes
Abdul Aziz
Thanks for sharing this sister, It will be great to know if those who are intended to go for Umrah only can now apply as tourist. I have my flight and accommodation all booked but as i have booked my accommodation in Mekkah and Medina which clearly suggest my intention i don’t know if they are any chance of rejection. What Agents are now think as they are asking nearly £250
Muslim Travel Girl
Yes, please read above the article.
Naima
Salam. I am a single mother so if there is no option of a female guardian in the form, then I can’t get my son’s visa issued?
Muslim Travel Girl
You can add yourself as a guardian