Hajj & Umrah·Published: November 12, 2026·8 min read·By Farhan Momen (Founder & Travel Editor)

UPDATED · Nov 12, 2026

Umrah and Hajj from the UK: Visas, Nusuk and ATOL (2026)

Quick Answer & Key Takeaway

Checked 12 November 2026: three online routes cover Umrah from a British passport — an ETA, an e-visa or an electronic visa waiver — while Hajj needs its own visa. The Nusuk permit is a separate step, MenACWY must be given at least 10 days before arrival, and Hajj 2027 has no announced dates or UK registration window yet. Flights leave Heathrow, Manchester and Birmingham; ATOL protects your money if an operator fails, not your health; and the FCDO currently advises against all but essential travel to most of Saudi Arabia, warning that insurance may be void if you travel anyway.

The short answer

Umrah and Hajj from the UK come down to three moves — visa, permit, booking — and two facts: which passport you travel on, and what the FCDO currently advises about travelling to Saudi Arabia.

- British citizen passport: three online routes cover Umrah outside the Hajj season — an ETA, an e-visa, or an electronic visa waiver (UK FCDO, checked 11 November 2026); Hajj always needs its own visa. - Other passports: the official eVisa portal publishes the eligible countries; for any passport not on that list, the instruction is to contact the nearest Saudi Arabia Embassy (checked 12 November 2026). - Everyone: the Umrah permit comes through Nusuk, the Ministry's platform, and MenACWY is required at least 10 days before arrival (UK FCDO). - Before you pay: the FCDO currently advises against all but essential travel to most of Saudi Arabia, and warns insurance could be invalidated if you travel against its advice (checked 11 November 2026).

Which Saudi visa route applies?

The FCDO's entry-requirements page covers the full British citizen passport route from the UK — three online options:

All three cover Umrah outside the Hajj season; none covers Hajj — that needs a separate visa. Passport validity: at least 6 months after arrival.

The table is the British citizen passport track. If you hold a different passport, do not take an agency's summary as the rule: the official eVisa portal publishes the list of eligible countries, and for every passport not on it the instruction — from the portal and from the FCDO — is to contact the nearest Saudi Arabia Embassy. Verify in the live application before paying (checked 12 November 2026).

Can you do Umrah on each route?

Yes — on all three routes, outside the Hajj season, on the same three conditions:

1. Book the Umrah permit on Nusuk. Nusuk is the Ministry's official platform and Umrah permit booking is one of its published services (checked 11 November 2026). The visa gets you in; the permit is what the Haram entry checks. 2. Carry the MenACWY certificate. A valid quadrivalent meningococcal vaccination certificate is required for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims at least 10 days before arrival (UK FCDO). 3. Check your insurance against the current advice — e-visa cover stops at SAR 100,000, and cover could be invalidated if you travel against FCDO advice (see below).

Around Hajj the rules tighten: Saudi authorities have stopped non-Hajj visitors flying to Jeddah, Madinah and Taif, and a Hajj visa may be needed just to board (UK FCDO, checked 11 November 2026).

Is Hajj 2027 open yet?

Not yet — checked 11 November 2026. Neither the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's portal (haj.gov.sa) nor Nusuk has published Hajj 2027 ritual dates or a UK registration window. What the Ministry has published is the supply side: applications are open for licensing foreign pilgrim service companies for the 1448 AH Hajj season (haj.gov.sa, checked 11 November 2026).

Two rules do not change while you wait:

- Hajj places are booked only through the official Nusuk Hajj platform — the FCDO states this directly; it is the best guard against Hajj fraud. - A tourist visa, e-visa or ETA is not a Hajj visa. When they appear on haj.gov.sa and Nusuk, treat any operator-quoted date as an estimate until then.

How do you fly from the UK?

Confirmed on the airlines' own pages, checked 11 November 2026:

- British Airways: London Heathrow–Jeddah direct in about 6 hours 15 minutes (BA's Saudi Arabia page); BA's press room dates the current year-round Jeddah service from 4 November 2024, launched as four flights a week from Heathrow Terminal 5. - SAUDIA: London, Manchester and Birmingham in its network alongside Jeddah and Al Madinah, operating from Heathrow Terminal 4 (official network page).

Timetables change seasonally; this guide does not assert Madinah (MED) nonstop options — re-check on the airline's own site when you book. Fares for those routes, with the dates they were checked, sit in the budget snapshot below.

Is your booking protected — and what does the current advice change?

ATOL is your financial seatbelt, not your insurance. If a package includes a flight, ATOL protects the money you pay a UK travel company — separate from travel insurance. Get an ATOL Certificate as soon as you pay (atol.org, checked 11 November 2026); the FCDO adds: ATOL-protected operator, credit card where possible, written terms, every transaction kept.

Read the current advisory twice. At check time (11 November 2026; page last updated 27 October 2026) the FCDO advises:

- against all travel within 10km of the Yemen border; - against all but essential travel to the rest of Saudi Arabia; - notes that King Khalid International Airport was struck on 10 October 2026 and that airports remain at risk of further attacks, with disruption and cancellations "very likely".

The line for your wallet: "Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from the FCDO." Read your policy wording against the current FCDO page before any deposit — if cover excludes travel against advice, you carry the risk yourself.

Consular fallback: British Consulate General Jeddah +966 11 481 9100; a lost passport during Hajj means an Emergency Travel Document — £125, allow processing time (UK FCDO).

What to check before you pay

In order — each line is a source you can open:

1. Decide the route by passport: British citizen → the three FCDO routes above; any other passport → the live eligibility check or the embassy, never an agency's summary. If a package is involved, the ATOL and operator checks are the next thing to read. 2. Passport validity: at least 6 months after your arrival date, with blank pages. 3. MenACWY: booked early enough that the certificate is valid 10 days before arrival. 4. Nusuk: account created and the Umrah permit booked for your dates; Hajj, if that is the intent, only via Nusuk Hajj. The BRN chain behind permits: the Nusuk BRN and Rawdah permit chain. 5. ATOL: number checked on atol.org, certificate expected on payment, terms in writing. 6. Insurance: policy read against the FCDO advisory of the day. 7. FCDO page and airline timetable: re-checked on the day you book — both are live documents.

For the stay itself — zones, gates, lead times — the Makkah and Madinah accommodation guide is the deep dive.

GBP budget snapshot — checked 12 November 2026. Dated figures only — rows with no official price say so: