Preparing the Visa Application and Necessary Documents
Fill out the Umrah visa application form. You must submit a filled-out copy of the 3-page visa application in order to receive the visa document. The application will require that you provide personal information and sign a document stating that you will not bring alcohol or narcotics into the country. You can access, download, and print the visa application form online at: https://www.saudiembassy.net/sites/default/files/VisaApp.pdf. The form should be printed or filled out by hand in black ink.
Receive a vaccination against Meningococcal Meningitis. You are required to have been vaccinated against this illness in order to enter Saudi Arabia for Umrah. Otherwise, your visa application will be denied. The vaccination should have been given not more than 3 years prior to the date of entry to Saudi Arabia. Make sure to receive the vaccination at least 10 days prior to your entry to Saudi Arabia, or your application may also be rejected. If you have already received this vaccination, contact your doctor’s office. Ask them to provide written proof, signed by a physician, that you are vaccinated against meningitis. If you’re traveling with children under 15 years of age, you’ll need to show proof that they have been vaccinated against polio as well as meningitis.
Obtain legal proof that you’re traveling with your husband or father. If you’re a young woman entering Saudi Arabia for Umrah, you must travel with a male companion: either your husband (if you’re married) or your father (if you’re under 18). When applying for the Umrah visa, you’ll need to include a copy of your marriage license or birth certificate to prove your legal status. Women over 45 years of age are excepted from this rule and may make the Umrah pilgrimage unaccompanied by their husband, as long as they travel with an organized group. Women over 45 will also need to show a letter of “no objection” from their husband or father, which permits them to travel. If you’re unmarried and under 45, you may be able to make the Umrah pilgrimage if you travel with a brother.
Obtaining Travel Documents
Contact a licensed Umrah travel agent. When you and your family visit Mecca for Umrah, the Saudi government requires that you do not make private travel plans to enter the country, but secure your visa through a travel agent. Licensed Umrah travel agencies will have an agreement with the Saudi government to distribute visa. For example, if you live in the United States, you can travel through the Dawn Travels travel agency. Fill out or download their Umrah Visa Application at: https://www.dawntravels.com/download-umrah-visa-application.htm.
Obtain a passport that will be valid for 6 months past the travel date. If you’re traveling internationally, you need to have a passport. You may need to renew your passport to ensure it will be valid 6 months after the travel date. So, if you’re traveling for Umrah at the beginning of March, your passport must be valid through early September.
Take a color passport photo that clearly shows your face. As part of your Umrah visa application, you must submit a full-size color passport photo with a white background. For the Umrah visa application, you must be directly facing the camera. A picture taken from the side, or even from a slight angle, may be rejected. If your existing passport photo fits these criteria, you may not need to take a new photo. Contact the organization through which you obtained your passport (e.g. the Post Office) and ask how to obtain a large, printed copy of the photo.
Obtain proof of nonrefundable air travel tickets. Before you apply for your Umrah visa, you need to purchase your airline tickets. The tickets must be nonrefundable and the purchases should be confirmed. Be sure that the date of departure from Saudi Arabia is within 2 weeks of the date of your arrival. You will need to show your travel itinerary when you submit the Umrah application. This demonstrates to the Saudi government that you will not be in the country for longer than 2 weeks.
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