Umrah rules: dos and don'ts

Before you leave

• Do: Book hotels and transport through a Nusuk-contracted company (or directly on Nusuk if you are eVisa-eligible) before the visa is issued. Since the 1448 AH season a visa is not issued without confirmed bookings on Nusuk, and it expires 30 days after issue if you have not entered.
• Do: Install the Nusuk app and create your account at home, on Wi-Fi. Umrah and Rawdah permits exist only in the app. Setting it up in the arrivals hall with a new SIM and a dying battery is where people get stuck.
• Do: Get the MenACWY meningitis vaccine at least ten days before travel and carry the certificate. It is a Saudi entry requirement for pilgrims from most countries; airlines and border staff may ask for it.
• Do: Learn the rituals before you go, not on the plane. Tawaf and sa'i are simple, but the crowd is not the place to read instructions for the first time.
• Don't: Do not pay any operator who cannot name their Saudi partner company or show a Nusuk Masar contract. Unlicensed sellers are the most common Umrah scam. The contract is QR-verifiable on Nusuk.
• Don't: Do not travel on a passport with less than six months' validity. You will be refused boarding or entry.

In ihram (from the miqat until you cut your hair)

• Do: Enter ihram before crossing the miqat; on most flights the announcement comes 20-30 minutes before, so change earlier. Crossing the miqat without ihram requires a compensatory sacrifice (dam) in the majority view.
• Do: Men: wear two unstitched white cloths, no underwear, sandals that leave the ankle bones uncovered. Stitched garments that are worn as clothing and covering the head are prohibited for men in ihram.
• Do: Women: wear ordinary loose, modest clothing of any colour; cover the hair; leave the face and hands uncovered. The niqab and gloves are specifically prohibited in ihram; a veil that hangs without touching the face is permitted by many scholars if you need it in crowds.
• Do: Use unscented soap, toothpaste and sunscreen. Perfume and scented products are prohibited after the intention. Unscented versions of everything exist and are sold at the airport.
• Do: Keep saying the talbiyah, out loud for men and quietly for women, until you begin tawaf. It is the sunnah of ihram and helps you stay mindful of the state you are in.
• Don't: Do not cut hair or nails, remove hair from anywhere on the body, or use scented oil. These break the conditions of ihram; each carries a compensation (fidyah) if done deliberately.
• Don't: Do not argue, swear, or engage in anything intimate with your spouse. The Qur'an names rafath, fusuq and jidal as forbidden during the pilgrimage (2:197). Intimacy invalidates the Umrah.
• Don't: Men: do not cover the head with anything that touches it, including a cap under a hood; an umbrella held above is fine. Covering the head is a prohibition of ihram for men; shade that does not touch the head is not.
• Don't: Do not hunt or harm animals, or cut plants inside the Haram boundary. The sanctity of the Haram applies to everyone, in ihram or not.
• Don't: Do not panic if you make a mistake out of forgetfulness. Most scholars hold that forgetful or ignorant violations carry no penalty; deliberate ones do. Ask a scholar or your group leader what applies.

Inside Masjid al-Haram and during tawaf and sa'i

• Do: Enter with the right foot and the dua for entering a mosque; make your intention for tawaf at the Black Stone line. Starting tawaf from the line marked opposite the Black Stone, with the Kaaba on your left, is what makes a circuit count.
• Do: Keep the Kaaba on your left for all seven circuits and count them; use the app counter. Losing count in the crowd is the most common tawaf problem; a circuit walked in the wrong direction does not count.
• Do: Point toward the Black Stone with your right hand and say Allahu Akbar when you cannot reach it. Kissing it is a sunnah, not an obligation. Pushing to reach it harms others and is not rewarded.
• Do: Carry your shoes in a bag and keep your hotel card and a passport photo on you. Shoes left at entrances get lost; the card is what staff use to help you if you are separated from your group.
• Do: Use the upper floors or the mataf's outer rings when the ground level is packed. Tawaf is valid on every level. The upper floors are cooler and safer for the elderly, and the circuits take a little longer.
• Don't: Do not push, cut through prayer rows during salah, or stop in the flow of tawaf to pray or take photos. It is harmful to others and dangerous in a crowd of this size. Prayer after tawaf is behind Maqam Ibrahim or anywhere in the mosque, not in the mataf lane.
• Don't: Do not photograph or film people who are praying, women, or security staff, and do not use tripods or drones. Photography of people without consent is restricted in the Kingdom and inside the Haram; drones are banned.
• Don't: Do not perform tawaf or sa'i on someone else's behalf while doing your own. One Umrah is for one person. Umrah on behalf of someone who has died or cannot travel is done as a separate Umrah, entering ihram again from a miqat such as Tan'im.
• Don't: Women: do not perform tawaf during menstruation; complete the other rituals as your school allows and ask your group's scholar. Tawaf requires ritual purity in the majority view; sa'i and staying in the state of ihram do not.
• Don't: Do not leave without cutting or shaving your hair. Halq or taqsir is what releases you from ihram. Women cut a fingertip's length from the ends; men shave or trim all round.

Saudi law and customs that catch visitors

• Do: Dress modestly in public everywhere, not just in the mosques; both men and women should cover shoulders and knees. The public decency code applies to visitors and is enforced with fines.
• Do: Carry your passport or a copy and your Nusuk permits; show them when asked. Permit checks at Makkah entry points and Haram gates are routine in busy seasons.
• Do: Use the Haramain high-speed train or licensed transport between Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah. Unlicensed taxis are a common source of overcharging and are illegal for the driver.
• Don't: Do not bring alcohol, pork products, vapes containing prohibited substances, or any narcotics; prescription medicines should be in original packaging with a prescription. Drug offences carry the most severe penalties in Saudi law; customs screening is thorough.
• Don't: Do not photograph government buildings, airports, military sites or people without consent. It is an offence and a frequent cause of trouble for visitors who did not know.
• Don't: Do not distribute religious literature, preach in public, or post content criticising the Kingdom or the authorities. Both are offences; social media posts have led to detention of visitors.
• Don't: Do not enter Makkah on a tourist visa during the Hajj season window announced by the Ministry. Only Hajj-permit holders may be in Makkah in that window; violators are fined and deported.

Health and safety

• Do: Drink water before you are thirsty, especially in ihram in summer; Zamzam is free from the dispensers. Heat exhaustion is the leading medical problem for pilgrims, and it starts before you feel it.
• Do: Wear your sandals in the mataf's outer areas and change to walking sandals for Makkah's streets. Blisters and foot injuries end more Umrahs early than anything else.
• Do: Agree a meeting point with your group before entering the mosque. Phone signal inside the Haram is unreliable at peak times; separation is common.
• Do: Bring enough of your regular medicines for the trip plus a week, labelled. Pharmacies are plentiful, but brand names and availability differ.
• Don't: Do not attempt tawaf at the ground level in peak hours if you are elderly, pregnant or unwell; use the upper floors or a wheelchair service. The ground-level mataf at peak times is a dense, slow crowd; there is no reward in hardship you could have avoided.
• Don't: Do not ignore chest pain, dizziness or confusion; find any Haram staff member or call 911. Medical posts are inside the mosque; response is fast if you ask.

Money and scams

• Do: Compare quotes line by line: hotel name and distance from the Haram, visa, flights, transfers and Makkah, Madinah transport. "Five minutes from the Haram" can mean a shuttle ride; the hotel name is what you can verify.
• Do: Pay by card or bank transfer to a company account and keep the receipt. Cash to an individual is unrecoverable if something goes wrong.
• Don't: Do not accept a visa "sponsored" through a business or visit visa for Umrah unless the seller explains exactly which visa it is. Visa fraud is a criminal matter for the pilgrim, not only for the seller.
• Don't: Do not give money to people inside or around the mosques who ask for it for a "charity" or a "badal" Umrah on your behalf. Begging is prohibited in the Haram and organised; give sadaqah through a known channel.

Take it with you

This list is in the offline companion, so you can check it in the Haram without signal, and in eight other languages from the language menu.