Nusuk App Troubleshooting Guide

Account Creation From Abroad

Most Nusuk problems start at account setup, before you have even applied for anything. Creating an account from outside Saudi Arabia should work the same as inside the country, but pilgrims report friction specifically tied to international phone numbers, email providers, and how names are entered.

Fix: Use the exact name as it appears on your passport, with no extra spaces or nicknames, and use an email address you check regularly and that is unlikely to filter Nusuk mail as spam. If registration repeatedly fails on one browser or device, try the official Nusuk app itself rather than the website, or vice versa, since pilgrims have reported one channel succeeding when the other did not. Our Umrah visa and Nusuk guide covers the account fields you will be asked for so you can prepare them before you start.

OTP and Phone Number Problems

Symptom: the one-time verification code never arrives by SMS or email, blocking account setup or login entirely. This is one of the most frequently reported Nusuk problems: "It is not sending the code to my email... Just ridiculous," one pilgrim wrote, describing exactly this dead end.

Likely causes: a foreign phone number the SMS gateway is slow to reach, a spam filter catching the email OTP, or a temporary server-side delay on Nusuk's end during high-traffic periods.

Fixes to try, in order:

• Wait several minutes before requesting a new code rather than repeatedly tapping resend, which can sometimes worsen the delay.
• Check your email spam and promotions folders, not just your inbox.
• If using a foreign mobile number, try switching between the SMS and email OTP option if the app offers both.
• Restart the app fully, or reinstall it, since a fresh install is a step pilgrims report having used successfully after a stuck OTP flow.
• Try again at a different time of day; app problems are reported more often during peak booking periods.
• If nothing works after repeated attempts across a day, contact Nusuk support directly, since this is ultimately a server-side issue only they can resolve.

Passport and Photo Upload Failures

Symptom: the passport scan or personal photo will not upload, or uploads but is then rejected. Related to this, some pilgrims report their passport or ID being flagged as already registered even when it is their first time using the app: "the app gives me an error saying 'This ID...'," one pilgrim described, stuck in what they called an endless loop with no clear resolution path shown in the app itself.

Fixes to try:

• Re-take the photo in good, even lighting against a genuinely plain white background, since automated checks are strict about background and shadows.
• Make sure your passport scan is a full, uncropped, well-lit image with all four corners visible and no glare across the text.
• Check the file size and format against what the app specifies; an oversized image is a common silent failure point.
• If you get an "already registered" or duplicate-ID error and you are certain you have never created an account before, do not keep resubmitting the same details repeatedly. This has been reported as a genuine dead end inside the app, and pilgrims who hit it generally needed to contact Nusuk support directly to have the record checked and cleared, since there is no visible self-service fix for it.
• Double-check every digit of your passport number against the physical document; a single mistyped character can trigger a false duplicate match.

"Permit Not Showing"

Symptom: you believe you have booked a permit (for the Rawdah, the Mataf, or your Umrah package itself) but it does not appear in your account, or the booking screen shows an error instead of your confirmation.

Fixes to try:

• Confirm you actually reached a final confirmation screen or received a confirmation email or SMS; if payment did not fully complete, no permit will exist to show.
• Log out and back in, or fully close and reopen the app, since permits sometimes fail to sync to the visible list without a refresh.
• Check whether you are looking at the correct linked profile if multiple companions are on your account, since a permit booked for one family member will not show under another's view.
• If a payment was taken but no permit appears anywhere, keep your bank or card statement as proof and contact Nusuk support with the transaction details rather than repeating the booking and risking a second charge.

Our Rawdah permit booking guide goes into more detail on booking timing specifically for that permit.

App Crashes and Other Bugs

The app's general stability is one of the more consistent complaints in pilgrim forums, particularly around booking screens rather than everyday browsing. One widely shared piece of advice puts it bluntly: "THE NUSUK APP IS BUGGED! USE THE WEBSITE FOR QUICK PERMIT/TASREH," a pilgrim wrote, recommending the browser version of nusuk.sa as a more stable fallback for time-sensitive bookings than the mobile app.

Fixes to try:

• Update the app to the latest version through your phone's app store; many reported bugs are tied to older builds.
• If a specific screen (commonly Rawdah or permit booking) crashes repeatedly, try the nusuk.sa website in a mobile browser instead.
• Restart your phone, not just the app, if problems persist across multiple app functions.
• Try a different device if one is available; some booking bugs have been reported as specific to either iPhone or Android rather than affecting both equally.
• Avoid uninstalling and reinstalling as a first response if you have unsaved bookings in progress, since this can occasionally interrupt an active session; save or screenshot anything important first.

Screenshot vs. Live Permit

A screenshot of a booking confirmation is useful as quick proof, especially in a queue with poor signal, but it is not a substitute for the permit that lives inside your Nusuk account. Staff checking permits at gates and checkpoints generally need to see the live, current record, not only an image on your phone, particularly if a booking was later changed or cancelled.

The safest habit is to do both: screenshot every confirmation the moment it appears, and also keep the Nusuk app itself logged in, updated, and ready to load your live permit on request. Pilgrims are commonly advised to "screenshot every Nusuk/Rawdah booking confirmation immediately after payment," precisely because the live app can be slow to load in a crowded, low-signal area even when the booking itself is completely valid.

Companions and Family Under One Account

Adding a companion or family member so their booking is linked to yours is a frequently reported failure point. Some pilgrims describe the option simply not working: "The app says I can't add a friend" and the "Add Friend button is greyed out," as described in a guide to the Nusuk process.

Fixes to try:

• Make sure the companion's own account and personal details are fully verified before you try to link them; an incomplete profile on their side can block the link from your side.
• Check that names, passport numbers, and other details match exactly what is on the companion's own account and documents.
• Try adding the companion from their own device and account rather than only from yours, since the feature has been reported to behave inconsistently depending on which account initiates the link.
• If the option stays greyed out after these checks, treat it as a known app limitation rather than something you are doing wrong, and book the companion's permit or package separately under their own account if the linked option will not cooperate.

Language Settings

Nusuk supports multiple languages, and switching can sometimes resolve odd display bugs, since certain screens have been reported to render more reliably in one language than another. If a form field, button, or permit screen looks broken, cut off, or mistranslated, try switching the app language in settings and reopening the affected screen. This will not fix every bug, but it is a fast, harmless step worth trying before assuming a deeper problem.

Support Channels and Fallback Steps

When self-service troubleshooting does not resolve the problem, Nusuk offers direct support channels:

• In-app support or help section, where you can typically raise a specific issue tied to your account.
• The Saudi unified contact number, 930, reachable from inside Saudi Arabia for a range of pilgrim-services queries, including Nusuk account issues.
• A Nusuk service desk in person, at major service points near the Haram in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, where staff can sometimes look at your account directly.
• Your approved operator, if you booked through one, who may be able to escalate account problems on your behalf or confirm whether a booking actually went through on their end.

Some pilgrims have reported that support responsiveness varies, with one review describing repeated visits before a booking glitch was resolved. Be persistent, keep records of every screenshot, confirmation email, and payment receipt, and treat these as your evidence if you need to escalate a problem that the app itself cannot fix.