Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia that can be performed any time of the year, unlike Hajj, which has a specific set of dates. Muslims perform Umrah to seek blessings, forgiveness and purification. Umrah involves a set of rituals that one has to perform during visit. These rituals includes wearing Ihram, performing Tawaf, walking between Safa and Marwa, and offering prayers at the Maqam Ibrahim.
Saudi Arabia has introduced new visa options for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) citizens to visit the holy sites. They have launched a transit visa. It will allow GCC nationals to stay in the Kingdom for up to 96 hours(4 days) and perform Umrah during their visit. This visa can be obtained easily while booking a flight with a Saudi based airline.
This program is in addition to the tourist visa and standard Umrah Visa. This visa is streamlined with Saudi Arabia’s goal to increase religious pilgrimage tourism. These new visa options make arrival to Makkah possible. However, one still have to reserve their trip via the Nusuk app to visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina for Al Rawdah Al Sharif.
Additionally, the visa holders of the United states, United Kingdom or Schengen countries are permitted to perform Umrah during their stay.
