NIMS NADRA vaccination certificate for UmrahStep by step

Dated change log

Deadlines have moved more than once. Here is each change with the date it was reported.

Early reports on 12/09/2026 said the rule would apply to international passengers at every airport from 14/09/2026. Border Health Services then narrowed it on 15/09/2026 to Umrah travellers from Karachi, for now. Where reports disagree, we follow the Border Health Services statement.

If your flight is from Islamabad, Lahore or another airport, the safest plan is to get the NADRA-linked record anyway. The vaccines are a Saudi requirement wherever you fly from, and a digital record will be accepted once your airport starts checking.

The polio certificate

Saudi Arabia names Pakistan as a country whose travellers must have at least one dose of bivalent oral polio vaccine or inactivated polio vaccine before arrival, "regardless of age or prior vaccine status" (Ministry of Health document for 1447H, 2026). That is why people call this the polio certificate. At Karachi the polio dose is free, according to the Express Tribune. It goes onto the same NADRA record as the meningitis dose, so you download one certificate from NIMS.

The Ministry of Health document we checked on 26/10/2026 covers the 1447H season. If a 1448H version appears, its rules replace it, so look at the Ministry page before you travel.

Step by step

Step 1: register and verify on Pak ID or at e-Sahulat

Register the traveller on NADRA's Pak ID app, or go to a NADRA e-Sahulat franchise near you. Both take your biometric verification. Border Health Services asks travellers to finish this step and the payment before they reach the airport, so the queue at the counter is shorter.

If your fingerprints don't verify (common with older parents), the Express Tribune reported that the airport desk refers you to authorised staff. Allow extra time for this.

Step 2: pay the vaccine fee

You pay through the Pak ID app or at e-Sahulat. The receipt is valid for 90 days, according to the Express Tribune's report of 11/10/2026, so you can pay a few weeks ahead.

The fees reported at Karachi on 11/10/2026 were:

These are newspaper figures. Check the fee shown in the app before you pay.

Step 3: get vaccinated at the Border Health centre

At Karachi, vaccinations are given at the International Traveller Vaccination Centre, run by Border Health Services at the Civil Dispensary near Star Gate, Jinnah International Airport. The centre was reported to be open around the clock.

The Saudi rules say the meningitis vaccine must be given at least 10 days before you arrive in Saudi Arabia. Geo News reported that the health ministry advises going at least 10 days before departure. Leave it later and the dose may not count. Arab News reported that travellers who need a vaccine at the airport should arrive six hours before their flight, which is a stressful way to do it with children or parents.

The Express Tribune reported these points on who gets which vaccine at Karachi:

• Influenza is given from age one, and meningitis from age 12.
• Pregnant women receive influenza only.
• Breastfeeding mothers may receive influenza, polio and meningitis.
• Foreign nationals are exempt from the Pakistan check.

The Saudi rules are wider than the Karachi practice on one point: they ask for the polio vaccine for everyone arriving from Pakistan, "regardless of age". Ask the centre about young children and about any traveller under 12 before you go, and check with your doctor if anyone in your group is pregnant or unwell.

Step 4: download the certificate from NIMS

Once the vaccination appears in the system, download the certificate from the NIMS portal at nims.nadra.gov.pk. ARY News described the online route on 12/09/2026: enter your CNIC or passport details, pay the certificate fee by card, JazzCash or Easypaisa, and download a certificate with a QR code. ARY reported that fee as Rs 100. Check the amount on the portal. Save it on your phone and print two copies. Check the name and passport number on it straight away. A reader comment on ProPakistani described a wrong passport number on an influenza and meningitis certificate, with NADRA and the health department each pointing to the other to fix it. Finding that a week before the flight is far better than finding it at the gate.

Step 5: carry it on the day

Keep the printed certificate with your passport, ticket and visa. Border Health staff check it before you board. Travellers were advised to verify their certificates before travel to avoid problems at the counter.

If you were vaccinated somewhere else

The September letter said no other vaccination card would be accepted at airports where the rule applies. If you already had the meningitis vaccine at a private clinic, ask Border Health Services whether it can be added to your NADRA record before you fly. If it can't, plan to have it again through the official route, at least 10 days before arrival in Saudi Arabia.

If you had a polio dose recorded through NADRA before this rule, look it up on NIMS first. Ask the centre whether it still counts for your travel date.

Families, children and elderly parents

A few points save trouble with a family group:

• Register everyone, including children with a B-Form, before the trip. Check that each child's details match their passport.
• Older parents often fail fingerprint checks. Do the e-Sahulat visit early, so there is time to sort it out.
• The Saudi rules ask travellers over 65, pregnant women and people with certain long-term conditions for proof of COVID-19 vaccination or recovery. Bring that record too. The Ministry of Health document lists the groups: over 65, pregnant women, and people with chronic heart, lung or kidney disease, blood disorders, weak immunity, cancer or chronic nerve conditions.
• Carry each person's medicines in their original packs, with a doctor's note. The Saudi Ministry of Health recommends this for anyone with a long-term condition.

For more on travelling with parents and children, see Umrah with elderly parents and Umrah with kids.

Airport by airport

How Maqam e Haram helps

We plan Umrah for families from our office in Islamabad. When you book with us, we remind you of the vaccine steps and the 10-day timing when we confirm your dates, check each traveller's details against their passport, and tell you if Border Health Services changes the rule for your airport before you fly. We also arrange the hotels, transport and ziyarat, and our own team meets you in Makkah and Madinah.

We don't issue visas and can't promise one. The Saudi authorities decide. We make the hotel and transport bookings the application needs and help you through it. See our visa information and Umrah packages from Pakistan.

Questions about your own family's vaccines or dates? Message us on WhatsApp or call +92 309 9022120.

Other new rules this season

The vaccination certificate is one of several changes for Pakistani travellers in 2026. Two more affect your budget and your dates:

• The Nusuk food voucher: a daily meal charge reported to be built into the Umrah visa fee for travellers from Pakistan.
• The one-year multiple-entry Umrah visa: 365 days of validity and up to 90 days in total in Saudi Arabia.

If you are planning for next year, our Umrah packages 2027 guide lists the season dates and what to ask for in a quote.

Questions and answers

Related pages

• Umrah with elderly parentsPlanning for parents.