Umrah, which can be performed at any time of the year except during the Hajj duration. This year, in 2026, Umrah will be closed on April 2 (the final arrival date in Saudi Arabia). Following that, pilgrims must leave Saudi Arabia before April 18. The Saudi Ministry announces these official dates because the Hajj will start from these dates onwards. Well, this discussion was about the fact that you can’t perform Umrah during the Hajj period.

You can perform Umrah during Ramadan, and the last ten nights are considered the most significant nights of the month. The crucial part of Ramadan is fasting and doing Dhikr of Allah SWT. Did you know that fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam? That’s what the basic purpose of Ramadan is.

So, if you are intending to travel for Umrah during Ramadan in 2026, you should know the rules and requirements. These keep changing every year; therefore, you must be aware of them. Let’s see deeply what regulations you should be mindful of!

The holy month of Ramadan is expected to start from February 18, 2026, and end on March 19, 2026. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the last prophet of God, said:

“Umrah in Ramadan is equal to Hajj in rewards.” – Sahih al-Bukhari: 1782

One Ramadan, Only One Umrah (No Repetition)

The most important rule is that a person can perform Umrah only once in the month of Ramadan. If you had done your Umrah by using the official permit issued on the Nusuk application, you cannot undertake more. Trying to issue another permit on the same details will cause a system error. Well, this is a good initiative by the Saudi government because crowds can be easily managed. Every individual can conduct rituals comfortably.

This rule is not limited to manual checking but is digitally controlled by the Nusuk system. Keep in mind that one Umrah doesn’t mean you can’t enter the Grand Mosque of Makkah after completing it. Rather, you can enter any time for praying, voluntary acts, and Quran recitation during your trip days. The restriction is only on entering again with the intention of Tawaf and Sa’ee while wearing Ihram attire.

Confirm Booking and Accommodation

To get your visa for Umrah, booking and accommodation must be confirmed in your Umrah booking. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has now made it mandatory that your visa will be issued only if your accommodation is registered on the Nusuk portal. This means you must have confirmed hotel and transport vouchers to process your Umrah journey. If you are booking with an Umrah travel agent, make sure the agent is providing registered and approved accommodation. Sometimes, the Saudi government restricts hotels who doesn’t follow their regulations.

As your Umrah will be in Ramadan, you should take care of some points when booking your accommodation through an agent. For the very first, make sure the hotel’s location is within the Haram boundaries. If you are comfortable with shuttle service, book those hotels. Additionally, Suhoor and Aftar are essentials of Ramadan. There are two options: either you can use a full board/half board or an Umrah package with no food.

Note: during the Ramadan Umrah season, hotels often accept non-refundable bookings. This means if your plan is cancelled, you won’t get your money back. Therefore, always check the terms and conditions before finalising an Umrah booking.

Digital Entry and Smart Tracking

In 2026, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia further improved the digital entry and smart tracking systems to manage Umrah pilgrims. Now, in Ramadan Umrah, every performer must have a permit to enter, especially in Masjid an-Nabawi. As we discussed above, permits can be issued by using the Nusuk mobile application after registration. These permits are necessary to obtain because of the QR code verification feature. Entrance gates in Masjid al-Haram and Masjid an-Nabawi are connected with the digital scanners to verify the pilgrims’ entry with QR codes. The Nusuk app is part of the Saudi Vision 2030, aiming to make pilgrimage processes more digital.

The Saudi government also introduced smart bracelets for tracking. Actually, smart bracelets hold GPS inside to get the location immediately from your leader or member if you lose your way. For a more digital experience, holy mosques equipped with AI features are installed in every corner. These camera systems fetch the crowd levels at the gates and use the face recognition technology for security purposes. In addition, robot assistants are available inside Masjid al-Haram and Masjid an-Nabawi for pilgrims’ guidance.

Visa Types You Can Use

Now, tourists can use other visas for Umrah as the restriction on using only the Umrah visa has now declined. Although you can still use an Umrah visa, there are also different types, such as a Saudi tourist e-visa, a personal visit visa, a transit or stopover visa, and an EVW (for British). In Ramadan 2026, you can apply for any type which is suitable according to your travelling purpose and budget.

Whatever visa you will use, make sure its validity and arrange your departure for Umrah accordingly. An Umrah visa is valid for 90 days, and you must enter Saudi Arabia within 30 days after issuance. However, a tourist visa is valid for one year with multiple entries, hence you can perform a pilgrimage any time in one year. A stopover visa will be valid for 96 hours only if you are flying through specific airlines and have a stopover in the KSA.

So, these are some popular rules and requirements that you should keep in mind. Apart from this, you can also fulfil the optional requirements from your own, such as health & vaccination and age rules, if implemented. However, there is no restriction on 2026 Ramadan Umrah travel. The new rules of the Saudi government have made Umrah more organised than before. If you are planning to visit Makkah and Madinah in the blessed month, try to start planning your trip months in advance.