A sacred journey.
Planned around you.

First establish the Saudi application route for the traveller’s passport and exact UK status. Prepare the requested evidence, then apply through the official route or a provider authorised for that visa service. Temporary UK residence and permanent residence should not be treated as interchangeable. A British family member’s eligibility does not automatically extend to everyone travelling.

Official guidance: Saudi official eVisa portal · Saudia: Saudi visa eligibility · KSA Visa: tourism eligibility

Umrah visa and document planning

The official tourist-visa portal includes Umrah and excludes Hajj. Confirm that your visa remains valid for the journey and comply with seasonal entry and permit rules. Arrange any required Nusuk permissions separately; holding a flight booking is not a substitute.

Official guidance: Saudi official eVisa portal · FCDO: pilgrimage guidance · Official Nusuk Umrah

Umrah visa and document planning

Prepare a separate checklist for every traveller: passport and expiry date, the correct Saudi entry permission, UK return documents, flight and accommodation details, and any health paperwork required for the travel dates. Check names character by character before applying or ticketing. A London, Manchester or Birmingham departure does not determine visa eligibility; nationality and immigration status do.

Official guidance: FCDO: Saudi entry requirements · Saudi official eVisa portal

Umrah visa and document planning

Treat the visa and appointment as separate tasks. The visa concerns entry to Saudi Arabia; Nusuk handles relevant pilgrimage permissions and Rawdah appointments. First confirm the correct entry route, then check what can be reserved for your dates through official Nusuk channels. A hotel confirmation does not reserve a Rawdah slot.

Official guidance: Official Nusuk Umrah · FCDO: pilgrimage guidance

Umrah visa and document planning

No. An Umrah package or tourist visa is not authorisation for Hajj. If your dates approach the Hajj period, check the current access and departure deadlines before booking. Do not rely on a general visa expiry date as permission to remain in restricted areas during that period.

Official guidance: FCDO: pilgrimage guidance · Saudi official eVisa portal

Umrah visa and document planning

Check the current Saudi Ministry of Health pilgrimage requirements for the traveller’s age, medical circumstances and recent travel history. Arrange any required vaccination or certificate with an appropriate healthcare provider in time. General website guidance cannot determine your personal medical suitability to travel, and the public enquiry form should not be used for medical records.

Official guidance: FCDO: Saudi entry requirements · FCDO: pilgrimage guidance

Umrah visa and document planning

You can ask us to plan the trip. Visa and pilgrimage conditions should be checked for the traveller’s circumstances through official Saudi channels. Tell us whether you prefer a group, a companion arrangement or private travel, and request a clear hotel and transfer plan rather than assuming the package includes an escort.

Official guidance: Saudi official eVisa portal · Official Nusuk Umrah

Umrah visa and document planning

Yes. Check each passport, application and any relevant permit, including infants. Do not assume a parent’s visa covers a child. Use the same names consistently across the application, flights and hotel booking, and clarify consent requirements where a child travels without both parents.

Official guidance: FCDO: Saudi entry requirements · Saudi official eVisa portal

Umrah visa and document planning

Ask for the full family total with the adults, children’s ages and room mix specified. Compare named hotels, nights in each city, meals, flights, bags and transfers on the same dates. A per-person price based on four adults sharing a room is not automatically the price for two adults and two children; the quote should explain how your party is accommodated.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Build two totals on an identical basis. For DIY, add flights, hotel rooms, airport transfers, Makkah–Madinah transport, baggage and any visa-service cost. Compare that with an agent’s written inclusions and support arrangements. The cheaper option depends on the actual dates and rooms; it is not determined simply by whether you book with an agent.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

There is no single month that is always cheapest. Compare several dates outside your fixed commitments, using the same hotel category, distance and room occupancy. Ramadan, school holidays and other demand changes can affect prices. Ask for the complete family total, not just a per-person headline.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Ask for the hotel’s name, the entrance you will use and the practical walking route to the Haram. Confirm steps, road crossings and any shuttle timetable. With children or elderly parents, a shorter usable route may be worth more than a higher star rating; a distance measured in a straight line does not describe the daily walk.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

No. Hotel category and location answer different questions. Compare room layout, meals and facilities separately from the walking route, entrance and shuttle. A five-star label is not a promise of a Haram view, an accessible room or a particular distance.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Count usable time in each city rather than only hotel nights. Seven nights can suit a focused stay when flight timings work; ten or fourteen nights may allow more rest and visits but increase accommodation costs. Decide the Makkah–Madinah split and include transfer days before choosing the advertised duration.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Request the exact room arrangement you need: connecting rooms, one family room or separate rooms near each other. These are different requests and depend on the named hotel. Ask whether an arrangement is confirmed or only requested, how many beds are included and whether any child uses an existing bed.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Start with walking distance, step-free access, rest after the flight and the Makkah–Madinah transfer. Confirm the room and bathroom arrangements, the practical route to the mosque, and airport assistance on all sectors. If a traveller needs personal care, plan who will provide it; an airport wheelchair service is not an all-day companion.

Official guidance: CAA: arranging airport assistance

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Compare the operating schedule for your dates, the arrival airport, stop pattern and the package’s hotel check-in. Include bags and onward transport to Makkah or Madinah in the total. A better flight time can be worth more than a small fare saving if it avoids an extra hotel night or a tiring transfer.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Compare the full connection through Dubai or Doha, assistance handovers and the Saudi arrival hour. If the traveller needs personal care, plan a companion rather than assuming airport assistance covers it. Ask for the support request to be confirmed on all sectors.

Official guidance: CAA: arranging airport assistance

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Use quotes for the same travel dates, airport, bags and hotel nights. Compare the actual connecting route and the cost of any extra overnight stay. Neither carrier can be called cheapest across all dates; a longer journey may also use up time from a short pilgrimage.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Request Manchester as the actual departure airport and say explicitly if a London connection is unacceptable. Compare the proposed Saudi arrival hour, connecting airport and hotel check-in. If a nonstop option is essential, ask the team to verify current operation on your dates before offering it as a solution.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Compare the complete package departing from Birmingham with any alternative airport you can reach. Include UK transport, parking or an extra hotel night, as well as the Saudi hotel and transfer total. A lower flight fare is less useful if it makes an elderly traveller’s door-to-door journey considerably harder.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Give your preferred London airport and the latest time you can check in. Compare flight timings against the hotel arrival and final UK journey home, especially if the return uses a different airport. A package described only as “London departure” needs a specific airport in the proposal.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

List your checked bags by traveller, piece count and weight, plus cabin bags, pushchairs and mobility aids. Ask for the allowance on every operating carrier, including a separate regional or stopover flight. Keep the answer for ordinary bags separate from Zamzam acceptance; neither should be inferred from an airline logo.

Official guidance: Emirates: baggage questions

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Confirm the operating airline, Saudi departure airport and any onward flights before buying Zamzam. Acceptance, volume and packaging are airline-specific. Our linked stopover guide includes the published Emirates provision and explains why it must not be applied automatically to Saudia, Qatar Airways or a separate connecting ticket.

Official guidance: Emirates: baggage questions · Qatar Airways: Zamzam handling

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Ask for the proposed sectors to be priced together first and compare any separate-ticket alternative. Confirm which carrier handles a missed connection and whether baggage is checked through. A multi-airline journey needs a clear ticketing explanation, not just a combined itinerary email.

Official guidance: Heathrow: connecting flights

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Request arrival in Madinah and departure from Jeddah as a different-city itinerary, with the hotel nights and Makkah–Madinah transfer arranged in between. Compare that against a return through one airport. Make sure the final hotel-to-Jeddah transfer gives enough time for international check-in.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Write the journey as dated sectors: London to Jeddah, Jeddah to Dubai after the pilgrimage, and Dubai to London after the planned stay. Ask for flights, Dubai hotel and transfers to be itemised. If you prefer Dubai first, request that sequence separately; changing the order can change the fare.

Official guidance: Emirates: Dubai stopovers

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Specify the number of nights in Doha and whether the visit comes before or after Saudi Arabia. Compare an airline stopover offer with independently priced accommodation on the same dates. Check eligibility, hotel conditions, transfers and entry permission instead of assuming that a Qatar Airways connection includes a free stay.

Official guidance: Qatar Airways: Qatar stopovers

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

List the Pakistan city and the exact dates before the full itinerary is priced. State whether Saudi Arabia comes first and where the final UK return begins. Passport, visa and baggage checks must cover the Pakistan sectors as well as Umrah; a low UK–Saudi fare alone does not price the family visit.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Specify the Turkish arrival and departure dates and which Saudi city comes before or after the stay. Ask the agent to price the flights and any hotel separately so the stopover cost is clear. Check entry requirements for Turkey for every traveller; an airside connection and a three-day visit have different implications.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Tell us whether Cairo or another Egyptian city is a visit, a transit or the starting point for an independently arranged tour. Supply the Saudi and Egypt dates together, and request a complete return-to-UK quote. Check both countries’ entry permission and keep separate-ticket connections clear.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

An eligible stopover arrangement may allow a short Saudi visit, but a connection alone does not grant entry. Check the issuing carrier’s stopover conditions, the exact permission issued and the time allowed. Arrange applicable Nusuk permissions and ground transport; leave enough time to return for the onward flight.

Official guidance: Visit Saudi: stopover programme · Official Nusuk Umrah

Umrah visa and document planning

Confirm the actual calendar dates, hotel nights, meal basis and transfers in the proposal. Ask specifically about iftar or suhoor rather than assuming ordinary breakfast terms cover them. Review deposits and cancellation conditions before payment, since a peak-period hotel commitment may be restrictive.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Ask for each transfer to be listed: arrival airport to hotel, the journey between Makkah and Madinah, and hotel to departure airport. Confirm private or shared transport, luggage capacity, collection times and how delays are handled. “Transfers included” is incomplete if it does not say which journeys are covered.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Check the named hotel’s board basis and the meals included on your stay dates. Breakfast only, half board and all meals are different arrangements. During Ramadan, request the precise iftar and suhoor provision and any additional charge; do not assume the package heading settles it.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Request the conditions for flights, hotels and transfers separately before booking. A change can involve fare differences, supplier cancellation charges and an agency fee. If one traveller withdraws, room-sharing costs for the others may change. An enquiry about cancellation does not cancel the confirmed arrangements.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Contact the airline and the travel-arrangements contact as soon as the delay becomes clear. Ask whether hotel arrival and transfer collection need to be amended, and retain the timings and receipts. Responsibility and charges depend on the booking arrangement and circumstances; do not assume every separately booked service will move without cost.

Official guidance: Heathrow: connecting flights

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

Provide traveller numbers, ages, preferred departure airports and the point at which the group should meet. Agree room sharing, a group contact and payment responsibilities. Compare the name and balance deadlines for each proposed fare; a group package can have different conditions from individual bookings.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers

No. The enquiry sends your preferences to our team. We then confirm available arrangements, the total price, applicable terms and the steps needed to book. A reference shown after submission is an enquiry reference, not a ticket, hotel confirmation or visa approval.

Compare Umrah flights, hotels and stopovers