Umrah 2026: New Registration Rules for Uzbek Pilgrims

In April 2026, more than 170 pilgrims from Uzbekistan couldn't get home from Makkah. Their trip had been arranged by intermediaries with no license. Among them were elderly travelers with heart disease and diabetes who needed daily medication.

For many families, Umrah is a once-in-a-lifetime journey. That's exactly why it's worth entrusting it to a process you can verify, not to a friend of a friend.

The rules changed in 2026. Every citizen planning to go on Umrah must now register on the single portal haj-umra.gov.uz. The requirement took effect on May 1, 2026, and is in force now. Anyone whose details aren't in the portal won't be allowed to travel.

Worth clarifying one distinction up front, since the whole procedure follows from it. Hajj happens once a year, under an intergovernmental agreement and a strict quota, and only the Muslim Board can organize it. Umrah runs year-round, has no quota (abolished in 2019), and any licensed tour operator can organize it too.

That's why, with Umrah, both the choice and the responsibility rest more with the pilgrim.

Here's the full path, start to finish. The order of steps isn't arbitrary: each one depends on the one before it.

1. Licensed tour operator
2. Registration on haj-umra.gov.uz (mandatory from May 1)
3. Umrah visa — via Nusuk
4. ACWY vaccination (at least 10 days ahead)
5. Insurance: what your visa covers, what it doesn't
6. Departure

Step 1. Choose a licensed tour operator

In Uzbekistan, only two kinds of organizer can arrange Umrah: the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, or a legal entity licensed by the Committee on Religious Affairs. No one else.

Since October 5, 2024, organizing Umrah has been a separately licensed activity, and the requirements got much stricter: a $1 million reserve in the "Ziyorat" fund (up from $100,000 before), a contract with a Saudi-side partner, and an obligation to arrange timely, quality medical care for pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah.

The numbers show what that did to the market. In February 2024, 134 operators were active. After the new requirements, 12 remained, or 8.9% of the original number. By May 2025 the list had grown back to 14, and as of July 2026 it's still 14.

You can check these requirements yourself when reading a contract. Under the resolution, the group leader must have religious training and work under a contract with the Muslim Board, the hotel must be 3 stars or higher, and payment to the Saudi partner must go only through a bank. Working through third countries, or arranging any visa other than an Umrah visa, is prohibited.

The list of licensed firms changes, so we won't name companies here. There's one reliable check: before you pay, open the Committee on Religious Affairs' official list on its gov.uz site and find the firm's name there. Not on the list — don't sign the contract.

The fine for organizing Umrah without a license is 200 BCU (base calculation units) — UZS 82.4 million. Article 168 of the Criminal Code also provides for criminal liability. The penalty falls on the organizer, but the pilgrim bears the consequences.

Step 2. Register on haj-umra.gov.uz

The portal itself was launched by Presidential Decree PF-68 of April 21, 2025; mandatory registration was introduced by a Cabinet of Ministers resolution of January 24, 2026. The resolution states:

Starting February 1, 2026, the "Hajj" program, and starting May 1, 2026, the "Umrah" program, will be carried out only through mandatory registration on the Portal. These programs may not be carried out without entering pilgrims' information into the Portal.

The rule applies equally to citizens of Uzbekistan and to foreign nationals and stateless persons.

For the older generation, this is the change that stands out most: there's no more signing up through your mahalla or local government office. Pilgrims register on the portal themselves.

The law sets out two paths.

First: on your own, through the portal. You log in yourself, choose your organizer (the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, open only to Uzbekistan citizens, or a licensed legal entity), and sign the contract. It's finalized by entering an SMS code sent to the phone number shown on the portal.

Second: through the organizer. You go to the licensed firm, or to the Hajj and Umrah Center at the Muslim Board, and they enter your details into the portal for you. After that, the SMS code goes to you, and the contract is finalized by entering that same code; on the organizer's side, it's signed with the manager's digital signature.

The SMS code goes to the pilgrim, and no code means no contract. So if a firm asks you to read them the code, or tells you "we'll handle everything, don't worry" — that's not a good sign.

Check your contract on the portal yourself, with your own eyes.

The Umrah application lets you list either your permanent address or a temporary one; for Hajj, only a permanent address is accepted.

Step 3. Documents and the Umrah visa

The Umrah visa is issued through Nusuk, the official platform run by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, where visa, hotel, and transport are all arranged in one place. In practice, your organizer fills out the application for you.

The core documents you'll need: a biometric passport valid for at least 6 months, a color photo that meets the requirements, a vaccination certificate (see Step 4), and a written contract with your organizer.

The visa is usually processed fast, and many applications clear within a few hours, but plan for 72 hours to be safe.

A tourist e-visa is not a reliable route into Umrah. In 2025, from April 23 to June 9, Saudi Arabia temporarily suspended tourist e-visas for citizens of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan; it was restored on June 19. That was a one-off measure, and treating it as an annual rule would be a mistake.

The takeaway holds regardless: the main, predictable route for a pilgrim is not a tourist visa but an Umrah visa obtained through a licensed organizer.

For women. Saudi Arabia dropped the mahram requirement (accompaniment by a close male relative) in October 2022. Women over 18 can travel independently.

In practice, some agencies still ask for a group or a companion. That's not a government rule — it's a specific firm's internal policy. Confirm the condition with your organizer before you pay.

Documents for other destinations are gathered differently; we've covered the document checklist for a Schengen visa separately.

Step 4. Meningococcal vaccination

Since February 2025, meningococcal (ACWY) vaccination has been mandatory for every pilgrim traveling to Umrah — a requirement from Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health.

Timing matters. The vaccination has to happen at least 10 days before entering Saudi Arabia. In practice, leave yourself more room, 15 days to a month, since getting the certificate issued also takes time.

There are two types of vaccine: conjugate (valid for 5 years) and polysaccharide (valid for 3 years). If you've been vaccinated before, check whether your certificate has expired — if it hasn't, you don't need a repeat dose.

One more thing most people don't know. For Hajj, medical checkups and vaccination are free at government facilities. For Umrah, they're optional and paid for by the pilgrim: you arrange the shot yourself, at a public or private clinic.

In other words, the Saudi side requires the certificate, but Uzbekistan doesn't centrally arrange it for Umrah. That part is on the pilgrim.

Step 5. Insurance: what's already covered, what isn't

Since January 1, 2025, the Umrah visa comes with medical coverage built in. The policy is issued by Tawuniya, under the rules of Saudi Arabia's Council of Health Insurance (CHI), with a coverage limit of SAR 100,000 — roughly $27,000. The premium is included in the visa fee, and you can't opt out of it.

So you don't have to pay twice for the same protection. That part is already settled.

Now the honest part. Here is what the policy does not cover:

• it only works inside Saudi Arabia. Travel, transit (a layover in Istanbul, say), and the time before you enter or after you leave the country aren't covered;
• chronic conditions and their planned treatment (diabetes, hypertension, asthma) aren't covered unless it's an emergency;
• canceling your trip before departure isn't covered. That's a separate product: trip cancellation insurance;
• baggage, theft, and civil liability aren't covered either.

What is covered: emergency medical care, hospitalization, diagnosis and treatment, emergency dialysis, pregnancy complications, emergency dental care (up to SAR 500), and repatriation — bringing remains home, if it comes to that.

Confirm the policy's validity period with your organizer when you get your visa, and have it written into the contract.

You can verify the policy is genuinely issued, too: the Saudi Council of Health Insurance's official service looks up a pilgrim's policy by passport or visa number. You don't have to take an organizer's word for it.

This limit matters most for older travelers and people with chronic conditions: medication you take every day, and any planned treatment, fall outside the built-in policy. Some pilgrims choose to add separate coverage for travel and chronic conditions on top of it. That's not required and has nothing to do with the visa — it's a personal call.

Your organizer's insurance is a different thing entirely. Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 668 requires the tour operator to carry an insurance policy, but that insures the firm's own operations — it's a condition of holding the license. It is not your personal policy. If a contract mentions "insurance included," ask exactly which insurance that means.

What the trip costs

Two things mainly set the price: how close the hotel is to the mosque, and how many people share the room.

Prices reflect open offers as of mid-2026; they move with the season, hotel proximity to the mosque, and room occupancy.

The most common format among pilgrims from Uzbekistan is a 14-day trip.

The visa itself, with official fees and insurance included, costs SAR 400–480; with agency markups added, the going range is SAR 550–800.

Travel between Makkah and Madinah is often not included in the package, or billed separately. The Haramain high-speed railway covers the distance between the two cities in 2 hours 20 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes: economy class runs SAR 100–200, business class SAR 250–300. Baggage allowance is one suitcase up to 25 kg, plus carry-on. Tickets get pricier during Ramadan and peak season.

A cheaper alternative is the bus: 5–6 hours, SAR 75–150. A taxi or private transfer takes about 4 hours on average and is priced per vehicle, which makes it a better deal for a group traveling together.

A note on currency. Uzbek agencies usually bill at the exchange rate on the invoice date, so the final amount in soum can differ from what you were first quoted. Read how the rate gets set before you sign the contract.

Costly mistakes

Trusting an unlicensed intermediary. In 2024–2025, 34 criminal cases were opened over Umrah arrangements, 53 firms had their operations suspended, and 580 pilgrims were rushed back home — figures from the Committee on Religious Affairs. Almost every case starts the same way: an intermediary that isn't on the official list, and a price below market.

Traveling on a tourist visa and trying to stay on for Hajj. Under Saudi law, this leads to fines, deportation, and a long entry ban. An Umrah visa is for Umrah; Hajj runs on its own separate quota and permit.

Ignoring the calendar. Every year, Umrah is suspended for several weeks ahead of the Hajj season, and Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announces the exact dates. Planning a spring trip? Check the calendar first.

Agreeing to everything verbally. Your return ticket, hotel name and class, group leader, meals — all of it belongs in a written contract. When a verbal promise turns into a dispute, there's nothing left to prove it.

One more thing, not quite a mistake but worth knowing. On March 2, 2026, as regional tensions rose and airspace closed, Uzbekistan's airlines stopped flying Umrah pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, including Tashkent–Jeddah flights, while return flights from Jeddah were arranged to bring people home. On March 10, the Ministry of Transport reopened the route and lifted the restrictions on passenger type and nationality.

The rule left over from that episode is still in force, and it applies to you directly: your organizer must give every pilgrim a separate round-trip ticket, no matter which airline operates the flight. Airport staff check that passengers flying to Saudi Arabia are holding a return ticket. Your organizer should also hand you the hotel voucher, transfer details, meal plan, and a copy of the insurance policy — when you get that copy, confirm exactly which insurance it is.

The takeaway is simple: keep your return ticket on you. Even a fully legal, properly arranged trip can shift for reasons outside anyone's control, so don't schedule anything important right up against your travel dates.

Before you fly: checklist

• The organizer is on the Committee on Religious Affairs' official list — verified.
• Registered on haj-umra.gov.uz, contract confirmed with your own SMS code and visible on the portal.
• Umrah visa issued through Nusuk; passport valid for at least 6 months.
• ACWY vaccination done — at least 10 days before departure, certificate in hand.
• Separate round-trip ticket in hand — checked at the airport; hotel voucher and transfers written into the contract.
• You know what your visa's insurance covers, and what it doesn't.

Umrah is a special case here: insurance comes bundled with the visa. That's not how it works for an ordinary trip abroad (vacation, study, a business trip), where you arrange the policy yourself. With EUROASIA, you can pick one online: eai.uz/travelling.