Umrah Visa from Canada
Canadian citizens and permanent residents can perform Umrah on a Saudi eVisa applied for online. You do not need to visit a consulate. You do need a passport valid for at least six months, a hotel booked through a licensed agency before you apply, and a meningitis ACWY vaccine given at least 10 days before you land. Most approvals come back within a few business days.
Qiblatain has been arranging pilgrimage travel for 16 years. We are TICO protected under number 50018801 and authorized by Saudi Ministry. Everything below reflects how the process actually operates for our Canadian Muslim brothers and sisters, not how it looked three seasons ago.
What Kind of Visa Do You Actually Need for Umrah?
Most Canadians travel on a Saudi eVisa applied for online. The Government of Canada confirms that Muslim visitors who are not Saudi residents can perform Umrah on any valid visa type. Only Hajj requires a specific, separate visa. This is the single biggest point of confusion, so it is worth understanding clearly.
Years ago, Umrah had its own tightly controlled visa category and you could only get it through an approved agent. That changed. Today the entry document is far more flexible, and the tighter rules have shifted to how you book rather than what stamp you hold.
The eVisa itself is generous. It allows multiple entries and a stay of up to 90 days, the whole application is done online with no embassy visit, and mandatory health insurance is included into it.
An Umrah visa does not let you perform Hajj. They are separate systems with separate registration. If Hajj is what you are planning, start at our Hajj Packages page instead. The timeline there begins much earlier in the year.
Who Can Apply from Canada?
Canadian citizens and permanent residents can both apply. If you hold a Canadian passport and another passport, apply on your Canadian one. Permanent residents apply with their PR card alongside their home-country passport, which must have at least six months of validity left.
You hold two passports: Apply on the Canadian document. Mixing passports between the visa application, the flight booking, and the airport check-in is one of the most common reasons a trip falls apart at the gate.
You are a permanent resident, not a citizen: You are eligible. You will need your valid PR card and your original passport. Some nationalities have an extra health requirement — polio vaccination, for example, applies to certain passport holders regardless of where they live now. Send us your passport details and we will tell you within a day.
Your passport expires soon: Six months of validity from your date of entry is the hard floor. If yours expires in seven months and you are travelling in three, renew it first. A renewal takes longer than a visa does.
Documents You Need Before You Start
Keep these ready before anyone touches an application form:
- Passport valid at least six months beyond your arrival date, with two blank facing pages
- A recent colour photo on a plain white background, taken within the last month
- Your PR card, if you are not a Canadian citizen
- Confirmed hotel booking in Makkah and Madinah, booked through a licensed channel (see the next section — this is not optional and the order matters)
- Return flight details
- Meningitis ACWY vaccination certificate
- A contact number and email you actually check, since approval notices come by email
Missing photos and expiring passports cause more delays than anything else on this list.
The Booking Order That Catches Canadians Out
You must book your hotel before you apply for your visa, not after. Since June 10, 2025, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has required pilgrim accommodation to be booked in licensed hotels and registered electronically on the Nusuk Masar platform before the visa can be issued.
For almost every other country, you get the visa first and book the hotel once you know you are approved. Saudi Arabia now works the other way around. If you apply in the old order, your application can sit unprocessed and you will never get a clear reason why.
There is a second trap inside this rule. The hotel has to be a licensed property registered on the system. A booking made through a general travel site may look perfectly valid on your screen and still fail to register. That is not something you can check yourself from Canada.
This is the single strongest practical reason to book your visa and your hotel together through one licensed agency. When we handle a Umrah Package from Canada, the accommodation is registered on the correct platform before the visa file is opened. The order is handled for you.
How to Apply for an Umrah Visa from Canada: Step by Step
Choose your travel dates, confirm licensed accommodation, get your meningitis vaccine, submit your application with passport and photo, wait for email approval, then print the visa and carry it with you. Start the whole process at least three to four weeks before departure.
Step 1: Fix your dates first. Everything else hangs off them. Ramadan and the last ten nights book out months in advance, and prices climb sharply.
Step 2: Book licensed accommodation. Before the visa, as explained above.
Step 3: Get vaccinated. Ten clear days before you land, minimum. Book the clinic appointment the same week you book your trip.
Step 4: Submit the application. Passport scan, photo, travel dates, accommodation reference.
Step 5: Watch your inbox. Approval arrives as a PDF by email.
Step 6: Print it. Do not rely on your phone. Print two copies, keep one in your hand luggage and one with a family member. Saudi immigration officers can ask for the printed document at arrival.
Step 7: Download the Nusuk app before you fly. More on this below.
How Long Does Umrah Visa Processing Take?
Straightforward applications are usually approved within two to five business days. During Ramadan and the weeks around Dhul Hijjah, allow up to two weeks. Submit at least three weeks before departure so a delay does not cost you a non-refundable flight.
No government guarantees a processing time, and any agency that promises you a guaranteed 24-hour approval is telling you something they cannot control.
What genuinely slows an application down is almost always on the applicant's side: a blurry passport scan, a photo with a shadow behind the head, a name spelled differently on the form than in the passport, or accommodation that was never properly registered. We check all of these before submission, which is most of what a licensed agency is actually paid to do.
Booking during Ramadan? Give yourself six weeks, not three.
What Does an Umrah Visa Cost from Canada?
The visa fee itself is a small part of the trip. Saudi government fees change from season to season, so we quote you the current figure at the time you book rather than publishing a number that goes stale. Our full Umrah packages from Canadian cities start at CAD $1,030 per person and include the visa, flights, hotels, and ground transport.
Costs that surprise first-time pilgrims:
|
Item |
Typical range |
|---|---|
|
Meningitis ACWY vaccine (per person) |
Roughly CAD $100–160 at a Canadian travel clinic |
|
Passport renewal, if needed |
CAD $57–160 |
|
Ground transport between Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah |
Included in our packages |
|
Ziyarah guide |
Included in our packages |
For a family of five, the vaccine alone can be $600 you had not budgeted for. Plan for it early.
Our package prices are per person, and they vary by departure city. Flights from Calgary and Edmonton often price lower than Toronto or Vancouver. If your dates are flexible, ask us to compare the difference can be several hundred dollars per pilgrim.
The Meningitis Vaccine: Timing, Clinics, and What Airlines Check
Every traveller aged one year and older must show proof of a quadrivalent meningococcal ACWY vaccine, given at least 10 days before arrival. A polysaccharide vaccine must have been given within the past 3 years; a conjugate vaccine within the past 5 years. Airlines can check this at boarding.
This is the requirement people leave too late, and it is the one that can stop you at a Canadian airport before you have even left.
Book your appointment at a travel health clinic, not a walk-in. Clinics in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary fill up quickly in the run-up to Ramadan, so a February trip means a December phone call.
Bring the certificate itself. A pharmacy receipt is not a vaccination certificate. Photograph it and email yourself a copy as backup.
Already vaccinated for a previous pilgrimage? Check the date against the validity window above. Many pilgrims assume a shot from six years ago still counts. It does not.
Can Women Travel for Umrah Without a Mahram?
Yes. Saudi authorities have publicly confirmed that women can perform pilgrimage without a male guardian. The mahram requirement was removed some years ago and has not come back.
Many women prefer to travel in an organized group rather than alone, and not because of any rule. It is simply easier. Group travel means shared transport, a guide who knows the route between the hotel and the Haram, and other pilgrims around you during a physically demanding few days. Sisters travelling on their own regularly join our group departures for exactly this reason.
If you are a woman travelling alone and want to know what the practical experience is like, phone us. Our team includes women who have made the journey.
Travelling with Children, Seniors, or Family Who Need Support
Children need their own visa and their own vaccination, from age one upward. Their passport needs the same six months of validity. Bring the birth certificate as well. It is occasionally requested and never a problem to have.
For elderly parents, the honest question is not about paperwork. It is about walking. Tawaf and Sa'i cover several kilometres on foot, on hard floors, often in heat. Wheelchair services are available at both Haramain, and they can be arranged in advance rather than queued for on the day.
Tell us about mobility needs, dialysis, oxygen, or anything else at the time of booking, not at the airport. Hotel distance from the Haram is the variable that matters most here, and it is something we can change while you are still choosing a package.
Why Umrah Visa Applications Get Delayed or Refused?
The reasons are boring and preventable. That is good news.
- Name mismatch. The spelling on your form must match your passport exactly, including middle names.
- Photo problems. Shadows, glasses glare, a cream-coloured wall instead of white, or a photo older than a month.
- Passport under six months. No exceptions on this one.
- Accommodation not properly registered. The silent one. Nothing gets rejected — it simply stalls.
- Applying on the wrong passport. Dual nationals, see above.
- Leaving it too late in peak season. Not a refusal, but the effect is identical if you miss your flight.
If an application is refused, you are usually able to correct the issue and reapply. What you cannot recover is a non-refundable flight. This is why we submit early and why we would rather tell you to delay by a week than gamble on a tight approval.
New Muslims and Reverts
If you accepted Islam recently, you can perform Umrah. There is nothing unusual about your situation and it will not be treated as a complication.
Two practical points. If you have not legally changed your name, apply under the name on your passport — this is normal and expected. And if you are asked to provide confirmation of your faith, a letter from your local mosque or Islamic centre is the standard document. Ask your imam early; it takes a few minutes to write and it is awkward to chase in the final week.
After You Land: The Nusuk App
The Nusuk app is required for Umrah pilgrims. You use it to book your Umrah permit, reserve Rawdah appointments in Madinah, and receive crowd management alerts. Download it before you leave Canada and set up your account while you still have reliable data.
Two things worth knowing before you go.
The Rawdah appointment in Masjid an-Nabawi is booked through the app and slots go fast. Set a reminder and try at off-peak hours. Slots refresh, so a full screen at noon may not be full at 3 a.m.
And the permit is separate from your visa. Having a valid visa in your passport does not automatically give you a Haram entry slot. Pilgrims who skip this step arrive at the gate and get turned back, which is a heartbreaking way to lose a morning.
Our group leaders walk pilgrims through the app setup on day one. If you are travelling independently, sit down with it before you fly.
Applying Yourself vs Booking Through a Licensed Agency
You can apply for the visa yourself. It is a legitimate option and we will not pretend otherwise.
Here is the honest trade-off. Doing it yourself saves an agency fee. What it does not do is register your accommodation on the correct platform, check your photo against Saudi specifications, catch a passport that expires two weeks inside the window, or rebook your hotel when a flight schedule changes at short notice.
It also leaves you without protection if something goes wrong. Qiblatain operates under Harmain Travel Limited, TICO registration 50018801. That registration means your payment sits under Ontario's travel consumer protection framework. An unregistered agent taking an e-transfer offers you nothing of the kind, and the Umrah market has more of those than it should.
If you are a confident traveller with a simple itinerary and plenty of time, applying independently is reasonable. If you are travelling with parents, children, or in Ramadan, or you simply do not want to spend your evenings on this, book it as a package.
Booking Your Umrah Visa with Qiblatain
We have been doing this for 16 years, from a small office in London, Ontario, for pilgrims flying out of Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver.
What that means in practice:
- Visa handled inside your package — no separate application to chase
- Accommodation registered correctly before your visa file opens
- Authorized by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj
- TICO registered (50018801) — your money is protected under Ontario law
- 24/7 support, including while you are in Saudi Arabia and it is 3 a.m. at home
Compare our current Umrah Package from Canada options, or read more about why Canadian families have used us as their Best Hajj and Umrah Travel Agency for three decades.
Call us on 647 258 1244, message us on WhatsApp at +1 (647) 258-1244, or email info@qiblatain.ca. If you tell us your city and rough dates, we can tell you in one phone call whether your timeline is realistic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a separate Umrah visa, or can I go on a tourist visa?
Most Canadians travel on a Saudi eVisa. Muslim visitors who are not Saudi residents can perform Umrah on a valid visa of any type. Only Hajj requires its own separate registration and visa.
How long is the visa valid?
The eVisa allows multiple entries and stays of up to 90 days. Your package length is a separate matter. Most Canadian pilgrims travel for 5 to 14 nights.
How early should I apply?
Three to four weeks before departure for normal travel. Six weeks for Ramadan or Dhul Hijjah. Approvals often come faster, but the buffer protects your flight.
Can Canadian permanent residents apply?
Yes. You will need a valid PR card and a passport with at least six months of validity. Some nationalities carry an extra vaccination requirement. Send us your details and we will confirm.
Do children need a visa and a vaccine?
Yes to both, from age one. Bring the birth certificate as well.
Can women perform Umrah without a mahram?
Yes. The mahram requirement was removed and Saudi authorities have confirmed this. Many sisters still choose group departures for practical comfort rather than any rule.
What if my visa is refused?
Most refusals come from a fixable error. A photo, a name spelling, or a passport date. You can correct it and reapply. This is exactly why we submit early rather than close to departure.
Is there a direct flight from Canada?
No. Every route from Canada to Saudi Arabia connects through a Gulf or European hub, and total travel time from Toronto runs roughly 14 to 18 hours including the layover.