Guides / Daily life / Faith & pilgrimage
Umrah from Qatar: visas, Nusuk permits and travelling by road or air
How Qatar residents perform Umrah: choosing a licensed campaign or going on your own, the vaccine you must have, booking your Nusuk permit, and what to expect by bus, car or plane, including Ramadan.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026
- Distance
- About 1,500 km by road from Doha to Makkah via Abu Samra; a bus round trip takes about two days of travel
- You need
- Saudi visa (non-GCC nationals), meningococcal vaccine 10+ days before travel, Nusuk Umrah permit
- Campaign prices (summer 2026)
- By bus from about QAR 500 to QAR 850 plus about QAR 550 for the visa; by air from about QAR 2,500
- Busiest time
- Ramadan, especially the last ten days; Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around 8 February
Umrah is the lesser pilgrimage to Makkah, and from Qatar it is one of the easiest trips to make: Makkah is about 1,500 km away by road, or a short flight to Jeddah or Madinah. Residents can go with a Qatar-based Umrah campaign (hamla) licensed by the Ministry of Awqaf, by bus or by air, or travel on their own by flying or driving. Whichever you choose, you need three things: a Saudi visa (citizens of GCC countries do not), the meningococcal vaccine at least 10 days before you travel, and an Umrah permit booked in the official Nusuk app. This guide is for workers and families in Qatar. Work through it in order: choose how you will travel, check your papers and get vaccinated, book with a licensed campaign or plan your own trip, get your visa and Nusuk permit, then travel and come home. The visa application itself is explained step by step in our Saudi visa guide, so this guide does not repeat it.
Before you start
- Passport valid for at least 6 months, for every traveller including children
- QID valid for at least 3 months, so your Saudi visa can be issued and you can return to Qatar without problems
- No unpaid traffic fines or travel ban, because both stop you leaving Qatar by land or air
- Meningococcal ACYW vaccine for everyone aged 1 and over, given at least 10 days before arrival in Saudi Arabia, with a record that names the vaccine type
- Clear scans of each passport photo page, QID (both sides) and a passport-style photo with a white background
- The Nusuk app installed on your phone, with a working mobile number and email address
- Birth certificates for children, and a signed consent letter from the other parent if only one parent travels with them
- Ihram clothing for men, and modest clothing for women, packed in your hand luggage
- Any regular medicines in their original packaging with a copy of the prescription
- A written contract and receipt from your Umrah campaign, if you book one
Step by step
Decide how you will go
There are three common ways. A bus trip with a licensed Qatar campaign is the cheapest: the campaign arranges the bus, hotels, visa and usually your Nusuk permit, and the round trip by road takes about two days of travel on top of your days in Makkah and Madinah. An air package with a campaign costs more but saves the long drive, which suits older people, young children and short holidays. Going independently means you get your own Saudi e-visa, book flights or drive, choose your hotel and book your own Nusuk permit; it gives you the most freedom but you handle every detail yourself.
Check passports, QIDs and fines for everyone
Check that every traveller's passport has at least 6 months left and every QID at least 3 months; the Saudi visa system checks your residency, and a QID that expires while you are away causes trouble coming back. Check Metrash for unpaid traffic fines and any travel ban before you book, because since September 2024 people with unpaid traffic fines cannot leave Qatar by land, air or sea. Do this before paying a campaign deposit, since most campaigns cannot refund you if you are stopped at the border.
Read guide: Checking and lifting a travel ban in Qatar →Get the meningitis vaccine at least 10 days before
Saudi Arabia requires the meningococcal ACYW vaccine for everyone performing Umrah, and Qatar's Ministry of Public Health says this includes citizens, residents and children aged one year and over. The dose must be given at least 10 days before you arrive. The conjugate vaccine is accepted for 5 years and the older polysaccharide vaccine for 3 years; if your record does not say which type you had, it counts as 3 years. The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) gives recommended travel vaccines free to people registered at its health centres, so contact your own centre early. The ministry also recommends the seasonal flu vaccine, and Saudi rules ask people over 65, pregnant women and people with certain chronic illnesses to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Read guide: Get your health card (now linked to your QID) →Book only with a licensed Umrah campaign
Every Umrah campaign or office in Qatar must hold a licence from the Hajj and Umrah Affairs Department of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs. The department publishes the licensed offices on its website, hajj.gov.qa, so check the name there before you pay. Awqaf inspectors regularly find unlicensed offices: five were caught in early 2026 and another was referred to the courts in 2025. Ask for a written contract that lists the dates, bus or flight, hotel names and how far they are from the Haram, meals, what the visa fee covers, and the refund policy, and keep the receipt.
Get your Saudi visa
Citizens of GCC countries do not need a visa. Most other residents use the Saudi tourist e-visa, which covers Umrah outside the Hajj season and is open to Qatar residents of any profession. If you book with a campaign, the campaign usually applies for you and charges the visa separately; in summer 2026 Qatar campaigns quoted about QAR 550 per person on top of the package. If you travel on your own, apply on the official Saudi visa platform yourself and buy the mandatory medical insurance there. Our Saudi visa guide explains each step, the fees and what to do if your application is stuck.
Read guide: Saudi visa for Qatar residents: tourist e-visa, Umrah and driving across →Book your Umrah permit in Nusuk
A visa alone does not let you perform Umrah: you also need a permit for a specific date and time, booked in the official Nusuk app or on nusuk.sa. Register with your passport and visa details exactly as they appear on your documents, add the people travelling with you as companions, then choose the Umrah permit, a date and a time slot, and confirm. You receive a QR code for each person, which can be checked at the Grand Mosque, so save it on your phone. Many campaigns book permits for their groups, so ask yours whether they do it or you should. Use only the official app; third-party sites that charge a booking fee are not needed.
Book a Rawdah visit if you are going to Madinah
Praying in the Rawdah, the area of the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah between the Prophet's chamber and his pulpit, needs its own time-slot permit from Nusuk. Men and women have separate sessions. Slots are released only a few days ahead and fill up fast, especially in Ramadan, so check the app daily from about a week before you reach Madinah. Visiting the rest of the Prophet's Mosque does not need a Rawdah permit.
Plan for women and children
Saudi Arabia no longer requires a woman to travel with a mahram (male guardian) for Umrah; women aged 18 and over can go alone or with a group, though some families and campaigns still prefer women to travel with a relative. Each child needs their own passport, valid QID, Saudi visa and meningitis vaccine from age one. Add children as companions in Nusuk; the app shows whether each child needs a separate permit, as reports differ on the age at which one is required. If only one parent is travelling with the children, carry a signed consent letter from the other parent with a copy of their ID.
Read guide: Road trips from Qatar: driving to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Oman →Travelling by road: what to expect
Campaign buses leave Doha, cross at Abu Samra (Qatar) and Salwa (Saudi Arabia), and drive about 1,500 km to Makkah, so expect a long day and night on the road with stops for prayers and food. First-time visitors to Saudi Arabia usually give fingerprints and a photo at Salwa, which adds time. If you drive your own car, you need Saudi car insurance, the owner's permission for a company or financed car, and ideally Metrash pre-registration for Abu Samra; our road trips guide covers all of this. Plan rest stops, avoid driving through the night, and keep water, snacks and all documents within reach.
Read guide: Road trips from Qatar: driving to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Oman →Enter ihram at the right place
Pilgrims must be in ihram before they pass the miqat, the boundary points around Makkah. Flying from Doha to Jeddah, you pass the miqat in the air, so men usually change into ihram at home or at the airport and make the intention when the crew announces the miqat. If you fly to Madinah first, you enter ihram at the Madinah miqat (Dhul Hulayfah) on the way to Makkah. By road, campaign leaders tell the group where they will stop to enter ihram; if you drive yourself, check which miqat lies on your route before you set off.
Plan around Ramadan and the Hajj season
Ramadan is the busiest time of year: campaign prices rise, especially for the last ten days, hotels near the Haram fill early, and Saudi Arabia does not issue a second Umrah permit to the same person during Ramadan. Ramadan 2027 is expected to start around 8 February, so book by December or January. Umrah permits are also paused for several weeks before Hajj; in 2026 Nusuk stopped issuing them from 18 April to 31 May, and permits reopen after Hajj. School breaks such as mid-term and December are also popular, so book early then too.
Read guide: Ramadan in Qatar: what changes for residents →Come home and check your return
Keep your passport, QID and the Saudi entry stamp or record together, and make sure you leave Saudi Arabia before your visa's stay limit ends. If you are driving back, pre-register your return in Metrash so the Abu Samra check is quicker, and show your Saudi car insurance at Salwa if asked. If you are flying, check your airline's rules for carrying Zamzam water before you buy it, because airlines set their own limits and packaging rules. Regional events have disrupted flights and crossings at short notice in 2026, so confirm your flight or border status the day before you travel.
What it costs
| Campaign Umrah by bus, 5 to 10 days, summer 2026 (Al Raya, July 2026; visa extra) | From about QAR 500 to QAR 850 |
| Saudi visa through a Qatar campaign for residents (Al Raya, July 2026) | About QAR 550 |
| Campaign Umrah by air (Al Raya, July 2026) | From about QAR 2,500 |
| Campaign bus trip in the last ten days of Ramadan (Gulf Times, Feb 2024) | Up to about QAR 1,600, visa extra |
| Saudi tourist e-visa if you apply yourself (see Saudi visa guide) | SAR 300 plus application fee and mandatory insurance |
| Meningococcal and flu vaccines at your PHCC health centre (MoPH, Feb 2026) | Free for people registered at PHCC |
Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.
Common mistakes
- Booking with an office that is not on the Awqaf list of licensed Umrah operators, then losing money or being stranded when the trip falls through
- Getting the meningitis vaccine less than 10 days before travel, or forgetting it for children aged one and over
- Assuming the Saudi visa is enough and arriving in Makkah without a Nusuk Umrah permit for the right date
- Paying a campaign deposit before checking for unpaid traffic fines or a travel ban, which stop you at the border
- Planning an Umrah in April or May without checking whether Nusuk has paused permits for the Hajj season
- Leaving Ramadan bookings, especially for the last ten days, until the month has started
- Travelling with a QID that will expire during or soon after the trip
- Paying third-party websites or social media agents for Nusuk permits, which are booked free in the official app
Questions people ask
Can I perform Umrah on the Saudi tourist e-visa?
Yes, outside the Hajj season. The tourist e-visa covers Umrah, but you must also book an Umrah permit for a date and time in the Nusuk app. Hajj itself is never allowed on a tourist visa. The visa steps are in our Saudi visa guide.
How do I know an Umrah campaign in Qatar is licensed?
Check the list of licensed Umrah offices and companies published by the Hajj and Umrah Affairs Department of the Ministry of Awqaf at hajj.gov.qa. Awqaf inspects offices regularly and refers unlicensed ones to the courts. Pay only against a written contract and a receipt in the campaign's name.
How much does an Umrah by bus from Qatar cost?
In summer 2026, Qatar campaigns advertised land trips from about QAR 500 for short programmes and QAR 650 to QAR 850 for 5 to 10 days, with the visa charged separately at about QAR 550 for residents. Prices rise in Ramadan, especially in the last ten days. Always ask what is included: hotel distance from the Haram, meals and visits in Madinah vary a lot.
Can a woman go for Umrah without a mahram?
Saudi rules allow women aged 18 and over to perform Umrah without a male guardian. Some campaigns have their own policies for women travelling alone, so ask before you book. Girls under 18 should travel with a parent or guardian.
Do children need the vaccine and a Nusuk permit?
Children aged one year and over need the meningococcal vaccine at least 10 days before travel, and Qatar's health ministry recommends that children see their health centre before the trip. Add children as companions in Nusuk; the app shows whether each child needs their own permit, because sources disagree on the exact age. Each child also needs their own Saudi visa unless they are a GCC citizen.
Can I do more than one Umrah during Ramadan?
Not with a second permit. The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah does not issue more than one Umrah permit per person during Ramadan, to ease crowding, and Nusuk shows an error if you try. Plan your one Umrah for the dates that matter most to you and book early.
Can I go for Umrah in the weeks before Hajj?
Usually not. Saudi Arabia pauses Umrah permits for several weeks before Hajj and limits entry to Makkah to people with Hajj or work permits; in 2026 this ran from 18 April to 31 May. Permits reopen after Hajj. If you want to perform Hajj instead, see our Hajj registration guide.
Is it better to go by bus or by plane?
The bus is much cheaper and lets you travel with a group, but it means about 1,500 km each way and long hours at the borders, which is hard for elderly people, young children and anyone with health problems. Flying costs more but turns a two-day journey into a short flight. Many families fly in Ramadan and use the bus at quieter times.
Official sources
- Ministry of Awqaf: Hajj and Umrah Affairs Department, licensed offices ↗
- Nusuk: official Umrah and Rawdah permits ↗
- Saudi Ministry of Health: health requirements for Umrah (1447H) ↗
- The Peninsula (Feb 2026): MoPH urges vaccinations before Umrah ↗
- Gulf Times (May 2025): Awqaf acts against an unlicensed Hajj and Umrah office ↗
- Al Raya (July 2026): summer Umrah packages and prices from Qatar (Arabic) ↗
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