Since 1 July 2026 there has been a new way into Saudi Arabia for British passport holders: the Electronic Travel Authorisation, or ETA. It arrived with very little explanation, and the confusion has been constant ever since. Families ring convinced the ETA has somehow cancelled their Umrah visa. Others buy an ETA for a father-in-law travelling on a Pakistani passport, only to find he was never eligible for it.
Quick answer: a Saudi visa for UK residents comes down to two questions. Which passport are you travelling on, and are you going for Umrah or Hajj? British citizens use the ETA. Non-British passport holders with indefinite leave to remain or settled status use the tourist eVisa. Everyone else applies through a licensed agent. Hajj needs a separate Hajj visa, booked only through Nusuk Hajj.
Answer those two questions and the right route is obvious. Get them the wrong way round and you can lose a deposit, a flight, or a whole season.
Everything below reflects Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) guidance as it stood on 4 November 2026, together with the rules published by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. Visa rules move. This page is re-checked monthly and date-stamped.
The Three Ways to Enter Saudi Arabia for Umrah
There is no single Umrah visa any more. There are three legitimate entry routes, and the FCDO confirms that Umrah outside the Hajj season is permitted on all of them. Which one you use depends on your passport, not on where you live.
| Saudi ETA | Tourist eVisa | Umrah visa via licensed agent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | British citizen passport holders | Nationals of the eVisa-eligible countries, plus holders of a used UK, US or Schengen visit visa and permanent residents of the UK, US or EU | Passport nationalities not on the eVisa list, including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Egypt |
| Where you apply | ksavisa.sa | visa.visitsaudi.com, or on arrival if eligible | A travel agent licensed by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, filed through Masar Nusuk |
| Cost | Reported at SAR 50, roughly £10. Confirm the live figure on ksavisa.sa | Around SAR 535 including mandatory medical insurance | Government fee reported at SAR 300 plus insurance, then the agent service fee |
| Validity | 730 days from issue | 365 days from issue | Set by the visa issued and tied to the Umrah season |
| Entries and stay | Multiple entries, 180 days total across the 730 days | Multiple entries, 90 days total across the 365 days | Usually single entry for the trip booked |
| Medical insurance | Not included, buy your own | Included up to SAR 100,000 | Normally bundled into the application |
| Umrah outside Hajj season | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hajj allowed? | No | No | No |
A fourth route still exists and is still listed by the FCDO: the electronic visa waiver, applied for at visa.mofa.gov.sa. It gives a single entry of up to 180 days, needs your flight details, and must be submitted at least 48 hours and no more than 90 days before you fly. Several UK agency websites now claim the waiver was scrapped when the ETA launched. As of this month the FCDO still lists it as an option. For most people the ETA is the better pick anyway, because it lasts two years and lets you return.
The Saudi ETA for British Citizens
The Saudi ETA scheme went live on 1 July 2026 and mirrors the arrangement Britain already applies to Saudi nationals. You apply online at ksavisa.sa. There is no embassy appointment, no biometrics and no need to surrender your passport, and approval usually lands by email well before departure.
It is a genuinely good deal for pilgrim families. Two years of validity and 180 days of permitted stay means one application can cover Umrah in Ramadan, a return trip the following winter, and a business stopover in Riyadh in between.
What the ETA covers
The FCDO lists five permitted purposes:
- Tourism
- Business
- Study
- Medical treatment
- Umrah, outside the Hajj season
That fifth line is the one people miss. You do not need a separate, dedicated Umrah visa to perform Umrah on a British passport. The ETA is a complete entry document for the pilgrimage.
What it is not is a pilgrimage booking. The ETA gets you through the border; the Nusuk app gets you through the gate at Masjid al-Haram. Every international pilgrim needs an Umrah permit issued in Nusuk, and praying in the Rawdah at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah needs a second, separate permit that can only be booked once every 365 days. Rawdah slots disappear within minutes of release, so set a reminder rather than leaving it until you land.
What the ETA does not cover
- Hajj. A separate Hajj visa is required, and it comes from one place only.
- Work or residence. The ETA is a visitor authorisation. Employment on it is illegal and the penalties fall on you, not your employer.
- Medical insurance. Unlike the tourist eVisa, the ETA includes none. Saudi healthcare is expensive, so arrange cover before you fly.
- Non-British passport holders. It is tied to British citizenship, not UK residence. This is where most of the trouble starts, and it has its own section below.
One more thing worth knowing: visas issued before the ETA existed remain valid on their original terms. If you already hold an unexpired eVisa, you do not need to buy an ETA on top of it.
The Umrah Visa Through a Licensed Agent
The dedicated Umrah visa UK pilgrims used for years has not disappeared. It has simply become the route for people the online systems do not cover, and that is defined by passport nationality, not by where you live.
If your passport is not on Saudi Arabia’s eVisa list, you cannot file an Umrah application yourself on Nusuk. It has to be submitted by an agent licensed by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, through the Masar Nusuk contracting platform. The agent is not an optional middleman in that situation; they are the only legal channel.
The practical difference is the no booking, no visa principle. A licensed agent cannot file your visa without verified hotel and travel bookings attached to it. That is why agent-route visas come bundled with accommodation and transfers, because the system will not accept a bare visa application. It also means the dates on your visa are tied to the trip that was booked, so changing your flights after issue is far harder than it is on an ETA.
Two deadlines matter each season, and pilgrims are caught by them every year. For the current 1448 AH season the published cut-offs are 9 March 2027 for Umrah visa issuance and 23 March 2027 for pilgrims to enter the Kingdom, with the season closing in early April before Hajj preparations begin. Leave a February booking too late and there may be no visa left to issue, whatever the agent promises.
The FCDO warns that criminals advertise fraudulent Hajj and Umrah deals using the names of licensed companies, and that victims are frequently over the age of 65. Check the Nusuk service providers directory, check ATOL protection, pay by credit card and keep the terms in writing.
UK Residents With Non-British Passports
This is the section that saves people money, so read it slowly. The ETA is for British citizens. If you hold a Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, Nigerian or other non-British passport, your eligibility is decided by your UK immigration status, not by the fact that you live in Manchester or Birmingham.
Saudi Arabia’s published eligibility for the tourist eVisa and visa on arrival covers three groups beyond the listed nationalities:
- Permanent residents of the UK, US or EU. In British terms that means indefinite leave to remain or settled status.
- Holders of a valid UK, US or Schengen visit visa, specifically a tourist or business visa, already used at least once, with the entry stamp to prove it.
- Residents of the GCC countries.
Here is the nuance almost every competing page glosses over. The official wording says permanent residence and visit visa. A Skilled Worker visa, a Student visa, a Graduate visa or a spouse visa is neither of those things, even though all of them come with a BRP or a UK eVisa share code. Plenty of UK agencies advertise that any BRP qualifies. In practice, applications on those routes are assessed case by case and some are refused.
So, a worked example. An Umrah visa for a Pakistani passport holder in the UK breaks down like this:
- With ILR or settled status: apply for the Saudi tourist eVisa online, or take the visa on arrival. No agent needed.
- With a used UK visit visa: usually eligible for the eVisa through that route, but confirm eligibility before paying for flights.
- On a work, study or family visa: the dependable route is the Umrah visa through a licensed agent. It costs more and needs bookings attached, but it will not collapse at the airport.
The cost of guessing wrong is not the visa fee. It is a family where three members fly and one is turned away at check-in. If your household holds a mix of passports, and most British Muslim families do, check each person separately before anyone books.
Not sure which route applies to each passport in your family? Send us your passports and UK status and we will confirm the right visa route for every traveller before you book anything, usually the same day and at no cost.
Let us check your visa routeWhich Visa Do You Need for Hajj?
A Hajj visa, and nothing else. No ETA, no tourist eVisa, no electronic visa waiver and no ordinary Umrah visa will admit you to Hajj, regardless of what is written on the rest of the document.
For British pilgrims there is exactly one legitimate channel: the official Nusuk Hajj platform at hajj.nusuk.sa. The FCDO states plainly that a Hajj place can only be booked there. Any UK operator offering to arrange a Hajj visa outside that platform is either reselling a Nusuk package, which you could book yourself, or defrauding you.
Two further points catch people out around the season itself. The Hajj visa is issued for a fixed period and cannot be extended; overstaying risks heavy fines, detention, deportation and a re-entry ban. And in the weeks around Hajj, Saudi authorities have stopped non-Hajj travellers from flying into Jeddah, Madinah and Taif, so an Umrah trip planned too close to the season may simply lose its flights. Other airports stay open, but routing changes cost money.
If you are planning for Hajj 2027, start with the Nusuk Hajj platform and our Hajj 2027 guide before you pay anyone a deposit.
Common Visa Mistakes That Delay Pilgrims
These are the ones that actually cost people their trips.
Buying an ETA for a non-British passport holder
The single most common error since July 2026. The fee is non-refundable once submitted.
Treating the visa as the permit
Your Saudi visa admits you to the country. Your Nusuk permit admits you to Masjid al-Haram. Pilgrims still arrive in Makkah with a valid visa, no permit, and no slots left for the dates they have paid for.
Forgetting the Rawdah is separate
One permit per person per 365 days, booked independently of your Umrah permit, gone within minutes of release.
Passport validity measured from the wrong date
Saudi Arabia requires at least six months beyond your arrival date, not your booking date. Check the whole family, including children whose passports run on shorter cycles.
No meningococcal ACWY certificate
Mandatory for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, and the vaccination must be at least 10 days before arrival. A GP appointment booked two days before departure is too late.
Assuming the ETA includes insurance
It does not. Only the tourist eVisa carries cover, capped at SAR 100,000.
Travel history to Israel in the passport
The FCDO warns you may be refused entry if your passport shows travel to, or birth in, Israel. Worth knowing before you book, not at the gate.
Leaving the agent-route visa until the season final weeks
Issuance stops well before the season ends.
Paying by bank transfer to a company you have not checked
Credit card, ATOL, written terms, Nusuk directory. Every time.
Final Words
British passport, going for Umrah: get the ETA at ksavisa.sa, then book your Nusuk permits. Non-British passport with ILR or settled status: the tourist eVisa. Non-British passport on a work, study or family visa: go through a licensed agent. Hajj, for everyone: Nusuk Hajj, and nowhere else.
The rules changed in July 2026 and they will change again. What does not change is the order of operations. Confirm the visa route for every passport in your group first, then book flights, then book permits. Doing it in that order is the difference between a smooth journey and a scramble.
If you want the detail on each route, our Hajj and Umrah visa guide for the UK goes deeper, and our Umrah packages and Hajj packages pages show what is included at each price point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I do Umrah on the Saudi ETA?
Yes. The FCDO lists Umrah outside the Hajj season as a permitted purpose of the ETA, alongside tourism, business, study and medical treatment. You still need an Umrah permit from the Nusuk app before entering Masjid al-Haram, because the ETA covers entry to the country rather than entry to the Haram.
Can I use the ETA for Hajj?
No. Hajj requires a separate Hajj visa, and for UK pilgrims it can only be obtained by booking through the official Nusuk Hajj platform. The same restriction applies to the tourist eVisa, the electronic visa waiver and the standard Umrah visa.
How long can I stay in Saudi Arabia on the ETA?
The ETA is valid for 730 days from the date of issue and allows multiple entries, with a maximum of 180 days in Saudi Arabia in total across that two-year period. Overstaying can mean large fines, detention, deportation and a ban on returning.
Do I need a Saudi visa if I have a UK residence permit?
Yes. A UK residence permit is not a Saudi visa, but it may make you eligible for the Saudi tourist eVisa whatever your nationality. Permanent residence, meaning indefinite leave to remain or settled status, qualifies under Saudi Arabia’s published rules. A work, study or family visa is a weaker basis, and pilgrims on those routes are usually safer applying for an Umrah visa through a licensed agent.
How long does a Saudi visa take?
The ETA and the tourist eVisa are typically approved within a day or two, and often within hours. The electronic visa waiver must be submitted at least 48 hours before your flight. An Umrah visa through a licensed agent takes longer because bookings must be verified first, so allow two to three weeks in quiet periods and considerably more before Ramadan.
Is the visa included in Umrah packages?
It depends on which route your passport requires, and you should ask before paying. Agent-route Umrah visas are almost always bundled, because the visa cannot be filed without the booking. For British passport holders many packages now exclude the ETA entirely, on the basis that it costs around £10 and takes five minutes. Get it in writing either way.
Not sure which route applies to your family? We will confirm the right visa for each traveller before you book anything.
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