Three Documents. One Portal. Zero Guesswork.
The Umrah visa is the part of the trip that stops people from booking. Not the cost, not the flights, the visa. Canadian pilgrims hear conflicting things from family, from forums, and from agencies that would rather take a deposit than answer the question. So here is the plain version.
Saudi Arabia issues Umrah entry through the Nusuk platform, operated by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. Most Canadian pilgrims travel on the tourist eVisa, commonly issued as a 1-year multiple-entry visa allowing stays of up to 90 days per entry, which covers Umrah rites. A separate single-entry Umrah visa also exists for certain cases. You need a valid travel document, a photo meeting Saudi specification, and a meningococcal ACWY vaccination certificate. Biometric self-enrolment through the Saudi Visa Bio app may be requested.
Our team files the application, tracks it, and puts the fee on your quote as a separate line. Visa assistance is included with every package tier, from the $750 CAD economy land-only through to Platinum.
Canadian PR Card Holders Are Eligible, and Nobody Says So
Roughly 800,000 people in Canada hold a permanent-resident card. A large share of them are Muslim, and a large share of those have delayed Umrah because they were told, or assumed, that they need a Canadian passport first.
They do not. A valid Canadian PR card together with your home-country passport puts you on the same eVisa route as a Canadian citizen. You do not need to wait for citizenship, and you do not need to travel through a third country to file.
We confirm your eligibility in writing before a deposit is requested. Our team reviews your PR card validity, your IRCC status, and your passport expiry against current Saudi requirements, and tells you plainly whether the application will go through. If something in your file needs fixing first, you hear it at that point rather than after you have paid for flights.
This is the clearest gap in the Canadian Umrah market. Competitors publish general visa pages that quietly assume a Canadian passport. If you are a permanent resident in Mississauga, Brampton, or Cote-des-Neiges, that assumption costs you a trip you were eligible for the whole time.
How the Nusuk eVisa System Works for Canadian Passport and PR Card Holders
Step one, document verification. Before anything is submitted we check three things: travel document validity against your return date, PR card status if applicable, and whether your photo meets Saudi specification. Photo rejections are the most common cause of delay, and they are entirely avoidable.
Step two, the Nusuk application. The filing goes through the official Saudi platform. Personal details, travel dates, and accommodation are submitted together, which is one reason we prefer to have your hotel block confirmed before the visa goes in rather than after.
Step three, biometric self-enrolment. Where biometrics are requested, enrolment is done through the Saudi Visa Bio app on your own phone. No consulate appointment, no travelling to another city.
Step four, health documentation. The meningococcal ACWY certificate must be obtained at least ten days before travel. Canadian pilgrims get it at a pharmacy or travel clinic. We check the date against your departure so this never becomes a last-week emergency.
Step five, the Rawdah permit. The Rawdah, also called Riyadh ul-Jannah, is the area between the Prophet’s pulpit and his chamber inside the Prophet’s Mosque. Entry requires a timed permit booked through the Nusuk app. It is separate from the visa, and we set it up before you leave Canada rather than leaving you to fight the app from a hotel lobby in Madinah.
What the eVisa Actually Lets You Do
The multiple-entry tourist eVisa is more generous than most first-time applicants expect. Within its validity you can enter Saudi Arabia more than once, and each stay can run up to 90 days. For a pilgrim who intends to return within the year, perhaps for Ramadan after a first Umrah in autumn, that matters financially.
It also permits travel beyond the holy cities, which is why some Canadian pilgrims extend a trip to include Jeddah’s old town or a few days elsewhere in the Kingdom. We do not bundle that into the package, but the visa does not stand in the way of it.
What the eVisa does not do is replace the permits that sit inside the Nusuk app, including Rawdah appointments and certain seasonal Umrah booking slots. Those are separate and time-limited, which is the practical reason to have an operator holding both ends.
| What you need | Nusuk eVisa covers it | Separate Nusuk permit required |
|---|---|---|
| Entry to Saudi Arabia, up to 90 days per stay | Yes, multiple entry within validity | No |
| Performing Umrah at Masjid al-Haram | Yes, during most of the year | Seasonal slots in peak Ramadan |
| Rawdah visit at Masjid an-Nabawi | No | Yes, timed appointment in the app |
| Travel outside Makkah and Madinah | Yes, the tourist eVisa permits it | No |
| Hajj in the prescribed days | No, Hajj uses its own visa | Yes, a separate Hajj permit entirely |
The right-hand column is where most first-time Canadian pilgrims are caught out. Holding a valid eVisa and assuming the Rawdah is included is the single most common misunderstanding we correct. It matters most on a Ramadan departure, where the seasonal booking slots close early and the permit windows are the tightest of the year.
What Delays Applications, and How We Avoid It
Almost every delay we see traces back to one of four things: a photo that fails specification, a passport too close to expiry, a vaccination certificate obtained too late, or an application filed a week before departure with no margin.
Our answer to all four is the same. File early. We submit weeks ahead of your flights as standard, which means a rejected photo costs you a day rather than a trip. If the Saudi portal asks for additional clarity, our team responds directly and your hotel block stays held by the same people managing the file.
Throughout that window, your deposit is protected under Ontario’s Travel Industry Act because we are TICO registered. That protection is not contingent on the visa being issued. It applies from the moment you pay, which is the opposite of what happens with an unregistered reseller holding your money on a spreadsheet.
Bringing the Visa and the Package Together
The visa is not a standalone product here. It sits inside whichever tier you choose, whether that is an economy land-only package at $750 CAD or an all-inclusive itinerary from $2,195 CAD with return flights. Group travellers on a mosque departure each get their own application filed individually rather than as a batch, so nobody is left behind when the group boards.
If you want the visa question settled before you think about hotels, say so in your quote request. We will answer that part first, in writing, within four business hours.
