By Ibrahim Muhammad
There have been cases of intending Umrah pilgrims being turned back from the Airport in Saudi Arabia because of an inactive Multiple Entry Umrah Visa.
The Multiple Entry Umrah has some technical details that is binding on both Tour Operators and the intending Umrah Pilgrims.
Raudah Travel and Tour Ltd recently embarked on an enlightenment campaign to educate Nigerians on ways to utilize the multiple-entry #Umrah visa to avoid pilgrims being denied entry whenever they arrive at the airport in Saudi Arabia
What has changed, and what does not
Many believe this policy is about “increasing the Umrah stay to 90 days”. That framing is wrong and it is worth correcting, because it changes how you should plan.
The single-entry Umrah visa already permitted a stay of up to 90 days after arrival. What changed in October 2025 was the entry window, which was cut from three months to one month from the date of issue. The stay allowance itself was untouched.
So, the 90 in this announcement is not new. What is new is that you no longer reapply for every trip. You obtain the visa once and then enter and leave over a full year on the same document.
The second change matters more for planners: the allowance is now cumulative. Under the single-entry visa, 90 days belonged to that one trip. Now it is a single pot that drains as you use it.
It is compulsory to activate the Visa by booking for Accomodation transportation via Nusuk platforms before travelling to Saudi Arabia.
You need to contact your Travel Agent to activate the Visa by making payments for the listed services and ensure that the visa status becomes active online before boarding flights
Once you have secured a Multiple Entry Umrah Visa, that passport cannot be used to apply for any other types of visas within the same year, except when one is applying for a Hajj Visa.
The essence of the Multiple Entry Umrah Visa is to control the Umrah traffic, especially during Ramadan. Those willing to use the visa for Ramadan are advised to book essential services via Nusuk on time
Tour Operators or travel agents whose 70 per cent of Umrah Pilgrims he secured visas and are still in Saudi Arabia cannot activate the Multiple Entry Umrah Visa until those pilgrims have exited Saudi Arabia
How to apply and how to use it
First visit
Buy a service package from an approved provider inside Nusuk. It covers accommodation in Makkah or Madinah and transport between the cities and airports.
Submit your application for the multiple-entry Umrah visa and wait for processing.
Issue your Umrah permit in the Nusuk app, making sure its date lines up with your package dates.
Travel eligibility is verified before boarding.
Your entry is recorded on arrival, your exit on departure, and the balance is updated.
Every visit after that
No new visa is needed. The existing one is reactivated.
Buy a new service package, no longer than your remaining balance.
Issue a fresh Umrah permit for that specific visit.
Complete entry requirements and travel eligibility checks.
How the 90-day balance is calculated
The system does not count from the date your visa was issued. It deducts the days you were physically inside the Kingdom. Your exit is recorded each time you leave; those days are subtracted, and your remaining balance updates.
Here is what three trips across one year look like. Trip one of 25 days leaves 65 remaining. Trip two of 30 days leaves 35 remaining. Trip three of 35 days leaves nothing, and you wait for next year’s visa. Each remaining figure is also the ceiling on the next package you can buy.
One detail worth holding on to: deduction happens on exit. If you planned 20 days but flew home on day 12, you are charged 12.
The rule that catches people out: your package cannot exceed your balance
This is stated plainly in the official conditions, and almost nobody has explained what it means in practice: the duration of the service package you buy must not exceed the number of days left in your balance.
Every trip therefore shrinks the ceiling on the next one. If you have 10 days left, a 12-day accommodation and transport package will not be accepted. Do not assume you will be warned late in the process. Check your balance before you start booking anything.
This makes trip order a real decision rather than a detail. Book your longest trip first and you may find yourself boxed in by Ramadan with a balance too small to use. Start with short trips and you keep your options open.
Planning tip: if your schedule allows it, put your longest trip late in the visa year rather than early. You keep your flexibility instead of spending it up front.
The Hajj blackout
The visa is not activated for entry during Hajj season. The official wording gives the window as 1 Dhul Qi’dah to 13 Dhul Hijjah. That is not much use when your airline sells tickets by the Gregorian calendar, and most coverage we reviewed stopped at the Hijri dates.
Calculated on the Umm al-Qura calendar:
