Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 21 Sep 2026, 11:04 AM (Saudi time)
NAHCON has issued new 2027 rules requiring Hajj and Umrah operators to post a 250 million naira bank guarantee, hold IATA accreditation and appoint scholars, with breaches referred to anti-graft agencies.
Saudi Arabia's Jawazat now lets hosts extend single-entry and multiple-entry visit visas online through the Absher platform, provided the visitor is inside the kingdom with valid insurance and no unpaid fines.
Saudi Arabia's 2027 Hajj timeline requires roughly 1.5 doctors and 1.7 nurses per 1,000 pilgrims, routes service contracts and payments through the Nusuk e-wallet, and limits countries toward a single service provider.
A new Nusuk meal voucher of 20 Saudi riyals per day, embedded in the Umrah visa fee, will raise costs for pilgrims. It starts in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Egypt before a wider rollout.
Saudi Arabia has introduced a QR-code service giving pilgrims real-time crowd density in the Mataf and Masaa, helping them choose less congested times for Tawaf and Saai.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, with Saudi National Bank, has launched Nusuk Wallet, described as the first international digital wallet and bank card built for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.