If you have never done this before, the hardest part is not any single rule. It is knowing which step has to come first, because several have deadlines that start counting the moment you complete the one before. Work through them in this order.
1. Check the season dates against your leave
Saudi Arabia runs the Umrah season on a published calendar. For the 1448 AH season (2026–27), the ministry set 9 March 2027 as the last day Umrah visas are issued, 23 March 2027 as the last day pilgrims can enter the Kingdom, and 7 April 2027 as the last day to leave.
Work backwards from those dates. If your leave or your children's school break falls after 23 March, the Umrah-visa route will not work for that trip. The best-time guide lays the dates next to UAE school breaks and Ramadan.
2. Choose your visa route
UAE citizens don't need a visa. UAE residents do, and there is more than one way to get one: a Saudi tourist eVisa (Umrah is allowed on it outside the Hajj season), an Umrah visa through a licensed provider, or a newer one-year multiple-entry Umrah visa. The visa guide compares them.
3. Pick a licensed provider and book through Nusuk
Platform guides report that Saudi Arabia now links Umrah visas to confirmed hotel and transport bookings made through Nusuk (the "no booking, no visa" rule), and the ministry has said that each visit on the multiple-entry visa needs a service package from an accredited provider listed on Nusuk. Either way, the safe habit is the same: book through channels you can verify, and never pay a stranger who found you on social media. Read the scams guide before you transfer any money.
4. Get the meningitis vaccine
Emirates Health Services says the meningitis vaccine is compulsory for all Umrah pilgrims and must be taken at least 10 days before departure. The certificate has to show the vaccine's name, type and date. Public and private health facilities across the UAE offer it. Because of that 10-day gap, book the appointment as soon as your dates are fixed.
5. Get your Umrah permit in the Nusuk app
Holding a visa is not the same as holding a permit. Reporting on the ministry's rules is consistent that Umrah performers need a permit from Nusuk to enter the Grand Mosque, and that the permit dates must match the dates of your booked package. If you plan to visit the Rawdah in Madinah, platform guides say that needs its own pre-booked slot in Nusuk.
6. Check your documents before you pay for flights
Guides aimed at UAE residents commonly mention a passport valid for at least six months and a UAE residence permit with at least three months left. These come from travel platforms rather than the ministry, so confirm them in the application itself. Check your visa and permit status in Nusuk before you commit to non-refundable flights.
What this guide doesn't cover. It is about logistics only. For how to perform Umrah, or any religious question, speak to a scholar or your group's guide.