Here is a quick guide on how to obtain a Saudi visa for UAE residents ahead of an Umrah pilgrimage.
Saudi Arabia has opened its borders again for visitors from across the world who wish to travel to the holy city of Mecca to perform Umrah. Pilgrims from the United Arab Emirates are not able to enter Saudi Arabia visa-free though.
Here is a quick guide on how to obtain a Saudi visa for UAE residents ahead of an Umrah pilgrimage.
Umrah Visa regulations
There are various requirements that need to be met to be eligible for the Saudi Umrah visa.
Firstly, only visitors from GCC countries can enter Saudi without a visa and people with residency in these countries must apply for a visa.
Passport holders from the following countries can apply via the simple eVisa process:
- Australia
- Austria
- Andorra
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Brunei
- Canada
- China
- Cyprus
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Ireland
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States
If a person is a UAE resident but does not hold a passport from one of the countries above, they are still able to apply.
Applicants must hold a passport that is valid for at least 6 months after the date of arrival in Saudi. They should also submit a recent passport photo.
An application must also be done with a valid email address and applicants must have access to a debit card for payments.
Umrah visa applications must also now be accompanied by a valid proof of vaccination that should be uploaded on individual Muqeem profiles.
Proof of vaccination is valid for 3 years after the last vaccination and will only be accepted if a person was vaccinated more than 10 days before arrival.
The Umrah visa is valid only for 30 days after arrival.
Umrah Visa application process
The eVisa application is quick and easy with only a few steps. The following information is required from applicants:
- Full name
- Country of birth
- Passport details
- Home address
- Profession
- Marital status
- Travel plans
The application only takes a few minutes and there are a few security questions following the form. Payment is also done online and the visa is emailed once the process has been completed.
The visa can only be used for the purpose of Uhmra. Those wishing to perform Hajj need to apply for a separate visa.
The Umrah visa can be used at any Saudi land, sea, or air border and holders must print out the visa for use at the border.
Umrah post pandemic
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has scrapped most of its stringent COVID-19 rules and social distancing is no longer required at Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet Mohammad’s Mosque in Madinah.
Umrah officially finishes at the end of May and will commence once more four weeks after Hajj, allowing overseas Muslims to embark on the pilgrimage. The last date for applications before Hajj was Shawwal 15.
March 5 marked the day that restrictions were lifted and masks are no longer required outdoors. Worshippers inside mosques do however need to wear masks.
People traveling to the Kindom can also enter without a PCR test and quarantine is no longer enforced as all passengers are vaccinated.
Direct flights were previously suspended from many high-risk countries but have once more commenced from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Malawi, Mauritius, Zambia, Madagascar, Angola, Seychelles, United Republic of Comoros, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan.
Nearly 3.5 million Umrah performers have entered Saudi Arabia so far in 2022 with another 3.4 Saudi nationals having completed the journey. This is an increase of 228.5% from 2021.
New regulations also allow Schengen visa-holders to enter the Kindown without applying for an Uhmra visa but people without the correct paperwork will be fined $2,666 if they are caught.
Umrah vs. Hajj
There are different visas for both Umrah and Hajj for people who are not citizens or residents of the UAE.
Hajj is a required pilgrimage for all Muslims who are financially and physically able to make the journey. Hajj also only lasts a few days during the month of Dhu al Hijjah, the last lunar month of the Islamic calendar.
Umrah, on the other hand, can be performed any time of the year outside of the Hajj period and both pilgrimages have different obligatory acts which need to be performed.
However, it is advised that Umrah be performed during the month of Ramadan which took place from April 2nd until May 2nd, 2022.
Umrah is also significantly shorter than Hajj. The former can be completed in a matter of hours while the latter can take between 5 and 6 days with a much more strenuous physical toll.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
