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Ultimate Umrah Preparation Guide 2026 | Step-by-Step Checklist & Travel Tips for a Hassle-Free Journey

November 2025 · 12 min read

Ultimate Umrah Preparation Guide 2026 | Step-by-Step Checklist & Travel Tips for a Hassle-Free Journey

🎥 Watch Full DIY Umrah Video Here:

Umrah preparation checklist

Here is everything we sorted before flying — from flights and visas to permits and what to know once you land.

  1. Flights: Browse through flights and see which one works best for you. If you go to Makkah first, make sure your connecting flight is at least 3 hours, so you can freshen up and enter state of Ihram. If your connecting flight is at least 12 hours, then you can look into stopover programs offered by various airlines. We booked a hotel with Qatar Airways Stopover at a reduced price. You can find the information on the following website: https://www.discoverqatar.qa/stopover/

  2. Book a hotel with free cancellation: We started by booking the hotel first because you will need to provide the address and expected arrival date in your visa application. We used the following website to book hotels for Makkah and Madinah: https://all.accor.com/a/en.html

  3. Take the vaccine that is required for your country. Yellow Fever and Poliomyelitis vaccines are required for some countries but Meningococcal ACWY is required for all countries. Since we are from Canada, we had to take the meningococcal vaccine at least 10 days before. Here is the website with all the details: https://www.saudia.com/pages/before-flying/travel-information/hajj-and-umrah/health-requirements

    To be honest, it was confusing on exactly which date this would be implemented as some websites stated February 1st 2025, while Etihad Airways announced it would be required as of February 10th 2025. We still got the meningococcal ACWY vaccine since we landed in Saudi Arabia on February 1st but we weren't asked for vaccine proof. However, I do see that Qatar Airways has also announced on their website that it is required as of February 10th 2025. Click here for more information.

  4. Take your visa photo. You can easily do so with your phone in natural daylight. You can find the guidelines on the following website: https://visa.visitsaudi.com/Home/PhotoSpecifications

  5. Format your visa photo according to the specifications (200 x 200 in Width and Height, and Image Size must be from 5 to 100 Kb). We paid $10 CAD each to get our photo formatted on the following website: https://visafoto.com/saudi-arabia/visa-photo

  6. Apply for the Saudi eVisa at the following website: https://visa.visitsaudi.com/

    • This multiple-entry visa is valid for a year for up to 90 days.
    • We paid about 804 SAR ($320 CAD) for 2 people. This price includes medical insurance.
    • Processing time is usually 48 to 72 hours. We got it approved in 2 days.
    • There is a possibility to apply for a tourist visa upon arrival at the airport but it's best to apply beforehand to avoid any delays.

  7. You can also apply as a group if you are applying for your spouse and/or kids. We submitted one application for both of us. Once you have filled out the first application, make sure to save and add another applicant before submitting it.

    Group application screen

  8. Book your Umrah Permit and Rawdah visit on the Nusuk app. You will need to provide your passport number and visa number, so you can only apply once your visa gets approved.

    • Umrah permit is easier to get but it's best to book in advance, especially if you plan to perform Umrah on a Friday. However, they didn't check when we went.
    • Rawdah permit has limited availabilities. I couldn't find any at first but then I joined the waiting list and managed to find one. I would recommend keeping an eye on the app daily for openings. Unfortunately, our trip to Madinah got delayed, so I missed my appointment but my husband managed to go to his.

Madinah or Makkah first?

This was a hard decision to make as many people suggested going to Madinah first and entering state of Ihram from there. Personally, I wanted to perform Umrah first because many people in their videos stated that they became sick, so I wanted to try to do it as soon as we land in Saudi Arabia. I think what made our decision easier is that we did a stopover in Doha, so we got a chance to rest and prepare ourselves to enter state of Ihram.

Entering State of Ihram and Performing Umrah

If you are taking a flight to Jeddah, then you will need to enter ihram before crossing the Miqat boundary. Usually the airlines will announce it. For more information, you can visit the following website for the different miqat points: https://hajjumrahplanner.com/miqat/

Men are required to wear ihram and cannot wear any stitched clothing. Women are required to cover hair and body except face and hands. They are recommended to wear something modest and loose. Aside from the clothes, you also have some prohibitions.

I would recommend learning about the things we are prohibited to do during state of ihram. I found the following video helpful:

Also the video below is a quick summary of the Umrah process.

Haramain Train

If you are planning to travel between Makkah and Madinah, I would recommend taking the Haramain Train since it's the fastest. The only downside is that they are strict with luggage. That was the main concern of ours.

What we ended up doing is booking a flight to Jeddah and departing from Madinah airport, so we bought a luggage in Madinah and did most of our shopping there.

Donate a wheelchair, Quran or chair

You can donate a wheelchair, Quran or chair in Makkah to be used by pilgrims. Some pharmacies offer the service of dropping off the purchased item. Initially I wanted to go to Ghaya Pharmacy located at Masjid al-Haram gate 79. However, we were passing by Nahdi Pharmacy located near Clock Tower and saw that they had a sale on wheelchairs. It was 230 SAR for a wheelchair but they recommended a better quality wheelchair for 600 SAR and mentioned that it's more comfortable for the pilgrims, so we ended up purchasing that one.

Purchasing Zam Zam water at the airport

You can purchase a bottle of Zam Zam for 12.50 Saudi Riyals at the airport. I did read online that you need an Umrah or Hajj visa to take ZamZam water with you. I also read that Jeddah airport is stricter than Madinah airport. We managed to get our Zam Zam bottles at Madinah airport.

Do research before you go

Our Islamic history is truly beautiful and it's important to be familiar with a number of places before visiting Makkah and Madinah. Here are some of them:

Swissôtel Hotel Makkah with a Kaaba view is definitely worth it just for the view itself. It's the best view in the world. The hotel is also a very close walking distance to Masjid al-Haram. It's an ideal location.

View from Swissôtel Makkah
@arnzadiaries Umrah completed Alhamdulilah 🥹 🕋 Masjid al-Haram #Makkah 📍 Swissôtel Hotel Makkah ☕️ Cafe Moment Clock Tower #umrah #umrah2025 #swissotelmakkah ♬ وديلي سلامي - Mohamed Kendo
@arnzadiaries Took Haramain Train 🚆 to #Madinah and had late dinner at Arabesque Restaurant located at Sofitel Madinah Hotel. This hotel was so close to Masjid Nabawi. It's located near the ladies gate (gate 338). 📍 Sofitel Shahd Al Madinah - Would definitely stay there again! Loved the service and it's so close to Prophet's Mosque. 🚆 Haramain Train Economy Class was a comfortable ride. Make sure to check luggage requirements before. #masjidnabawi #madinahhotel #haramain #umrahtrip2025 ♬ original sound - Irfan Ahmad

Watch the full Umrah playlist

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