Umrah vaccination requirements What Saudi Arabia asks for, by country
- Last updated:
- Written by:
- Hajra Fatima
- Reading time:
- 9 minutes
Short answer
The newest Saudi Ministry of Health document we found (titled 1447H, 2026) requires everyone performing Umrah to have the meningococcal ACYW vaccine at least 10 days before arrival. Anyone arriving from Pakistan or Afghanistan also needs a polio dose. People over 65, pregnant women and some patients need COVID-19 proof. Flu vaccine is only recommended. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's FAQ page says something different, so read the section on conflicting sources.
On this page
Vaccine advice for Umrah is full of old news. Some websites say the meningitis rule was cancelled, others say it applies to everybody, and many do not say when they looked. This page follows one document, "Health Requirements and Recommendations for Travelers to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, 1447H (2026)", which the Ministry of Health hosts on its pilgrims' health page. It says what is required, what is only recommended and where the rule depends on your country.
We are not doctors. For your own health, see a GP or travel clinic at least 8 weeks before you fly.
Where the sources disagree
Read this first, because it explains why you will see both "required" and "not required" online.
- The Ministry of Health document (1447H, 2026) requires the meningococcal ACYW vaccine for everyone intending to perform Umrah, from all countries. GOV.UK says British travellers need a valid ACWY meningitis certificate obtained 10 days before arrival. The Government of Canada lists polio, meningococcal meningitis and yellow fever vaccines as required for Umrah, Hajj or seasonal work in the Hajj zones.
- The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's FAQ page, checked 27/10/2026, says health certificates for Umrah are "not required at the present time" and that vaccination is not required to perform Umrah. The same page says Hajj requires the meningococcal vaccine.
- In February 2025 Morocco's health ministry said Saudi authorities had suspended proof of meningitis vaccination for Umrah, as Hespress reported on 07/02/2025.
The Ministry of Health page lists no 1448H edition, and its Umrah document does not state a year on the list. The document itself says only travellers from a list of mainly West and Central African countries must show a certificate at entry. Everyone else is still required to be vaccinated, but the document does not say a certificate will be checked for them. We can't tell you what an officer will ask for on the day. Our advice is to follow the Ministry of Health document and carry your certificate. The vaccine also protects you in crowds and long hours indoors.
The rules at a glance
| Vaccine | Status in the document | Who | Timing and validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meningococcal ACYW | Required | Everyone intending to perform Umrah, from all countries | Conjugate vaccine (ACYW or ACYWX) within the last 5 years, or polysaccharide ACYW vaccine within the last 3 years, and at least 10 days before arrival |
| Polio | Required | Everyone arriving from the countries in the polio tables, of any age and whatever their earlier vaccination | At least one dose of bOPV or IPV (Pakistan, Afghanistan) or IPV (some other countries) |
| Yellow fever | Required | Arrivals from listed countries in Africa and South America, older than 9 months | Certificate valid for life from 10 days after vaccination |
| COVID-19 | Required for some groups | Over 65, pregnant women, and people with certain chronic conditions | One of: a 2025-2026 updated dose, a primary series (2 or more doses) from 2021 to 2024, or confirmed recovery during 2025 |
| Seasonal influenza | Recommended | All travellers | Updated 2025-2026 vaccine before travel |
| Routine vaccines | Recommended | All pilgrims | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, chickenpox, mumps up to date |
Meningitis details
The document adds a few points worth copying down:
- A conjugate vaccine counts for 5 years from the date given. A polysaccharide vaccine counts for 3 years.
- Both must have been given at least 10 days before you arrive.
- The certificate should name the vaccine and the date. If the vaccine type is not written on it, the document counts the dose for only 3 years from the date given.
The document does not set an age limit for the meningitis requirement. Its footnote says current evidence suggests conjugate vaccines are safe and effective for people older than 55. If you are taking young children or very elderly parents, ask your clinic which vaccine suits them.
Polio: which countries
The document has two polio tables that require vaccination, and a third that only advises it.
| Group | Countries (as listed) | What is required |
|---|---|---|
| Wild poliovirus type 1 | Afghanistan, Pakistan | At least one dose of bOPV or IPV |
| Vaccine-derived type 1 | Mozambique, DR Congo | At least one dose of bOPV or IPV |
| Vaccine-derived type 3 | Guinea | At least one dose of bOPV or IPV |
| Second list | Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Indonesia, Palestine, Yemen | At least one dose of IPV; if IPV is not available, a certificate for one dose of an OPV that contains type 2 is accepted |
| Advised only | Algeria, Angola, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Palestine, Spain, Yemen | At least one dose of IPV |
For both required tables, the target group is everyone arriving from those countries, regardless of age or earlier vaccination.
Two footnotes set the timing. For IPV, the document recommends a dose within the previous 12 months and at least 4 weeks before arrival. For OPV, it recommends a dose within the previous 6 months and at least 4 weeks before arrival. Ask your clinic for a dose that fits both rules.
The UK, USA, Canada and the UAE are not on any of the polio tables, so the document's polio rule does not apply to travellers arriving from them. The tables say "arriving from", so if you have recently lived in a listed country, ask your clinic. Canada's travel advice lists polio among the vaccines required for Umrah without naming countries, which is another reason to check with your clinic.
Yellow fever
Only arrivals from the countries in the document's yellow fever table need the vaccine. The list covers West and Central African countries and a group in South America, including Angola, Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru and Venezuela, among others. The target group is everyone older than 9 months. Pakistan, India, the UK, the USA, Canada and the UAE are not on the list.
COVID-19
The document asks for proof of vaccine or immunity from these groups intending to perform Umrah: people over 65, pregnant women, and people with chronic heart or respiratory disease, chronic kidney failure, hereditary blood disorders such as sickle cell anaemia or thalassaemia, congenital or drug-induced immunodeficiency, cancer, or chronic neurological disease.
The proof can be any one of these: a single dose of the updated 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine, a primary series of two or more doses given between 2021 and 2024, or laboratory-confirmed recovery from COVID-19 during 2025.
For everyone else it is a recommendation, following the WHO SAGE roadmap. The document's recommendation sections for influenza and COVID-19 are worded for Hajj travellers, but they sit inside the Umrah document, so we read them as general advice.
By country: what you will usually need
This table applies the document to the countries most of our readers fly from. "Required" and "recommended" are the document's words. It covers vaccines only, not visas.
| Where you travel from | Meningitis ACYW | Polio | Yellow fever | COVID-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | Required | Required (bOPV or IPV) | Not required | Required for the risk groups |
| UK | Required | Not in the tables | Not required | Required for the risk groups |
| USA | Required | Not in the tables | Not required | Required for the risk groups |
| Canada | Required | Not in the tables | Not required | Required for the risk groups |
| UAE | Required | Not in the tables | Not required | Required for the risk groups |
Flu and routine vaccines are recommended from everywhere.
From Pakistan, there is a second layer. Geo News reported on 24/09/2026 that Border Health Services charges Rs4,500 for three vaccines, including a flu shot that the Saudi document only recommends, and that the charge includes a NADRA-linked vaccination certificate. Press reports give different start dates for airport checks of that certificate, so ask your airline what it will check on your departure day. Our NIMS NADRA certificate guide keeps a dated log, and our Islamabad airport guide covers the departure day.
Other health advice in the document
The authority also advises:
- Pilgrims with chronic conditions should carry documents describing their condition and enough medicine in original packaging. See medicines allowed into Saudi Arabia.
- Wear a regular face mask in crowded places during rituals, wash hands, and avoid contact with camels in farms, markets or barns.
- In the heat, avoid direct sun and drink enough fluids. Some medicines, such as diuretics, may need adjusting by your doctor.
- Use insect repellent containing DEET, IR3535 or icaridin against mosquito-borne illness.
- Wash fruit and vegetables, cook food thoroughly and avoid unpasteurised milk.
Our Umrah health guide goes through staying well on the trip.
A timeline that works
- 8 weeks before: book a travel clinic or GP. Ask about meningococcal ACYW, polio if you come from Pakistan, flu and your routine vaccines.
- 4 weeks before: finish any polio dose, which must be at least 4 weeks before arrival.
- At least 10 days before landing: your meningitis dose must be given by now.
- A week before: check the certificate names the vaccine and the date. Put a paper copy and a phone photo in your document pouch.
What if the rules change?
They can. The document says health authorities at points of entry may take extra measures for people arriving from target countries after a risk assessment. The document we used is titled 1447H (2026). The Ministry of Health page showed no 1448H edition on 27/10/2026. Look at the Ministry of Health page before your trip, and ask your airline what it will check at departure.
How Maqam e Haram helps
If you book with us, ask us when to start your vaccinations and which dates to work backwards from. We can plan arrival days so that older parents are not rushed through the airport, and our team in Makkah and Madinah can point you to a clinic if someone feels unwell. We can't give medical advice, so your doctor decides what is right for you.
We don't issue visas and can't promise one. The Saudi authorities decide.
Message us on WhatsApp or call +92 309 9022120.
Questions and answers
Which vaccines are required for Umrah?
According to the Ministry of Health document: meningococcal ACYW for everyone, polio for arrivals from listed countries including Pakistan, yellow fever for arrivals from listed countries, and COVID-19 proof for some risk groups.
Is the meningitis vaccine still required?
The newest Ministry of Health document we found, 1447H (2026), requires it for everyone performing Umrah. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's FAQ says health certificates are not required at present, and a February 2025 report spoke of a suspension. Follow the Ministry of Health document and carry your certificate.
How long before travel do I need the meningitis vaccine?
At least 10 days before arrival in Saudi Arabia.
How long is the meningitis vaccine valid for Umrah?
Five years for a conjugate vaccine and three years for a polysaccharide one. If the type isn't written on the certificate, it counts for three years.
Do I need a polio vaccine for Umrah from Pakistan?
Yes, under the Ministry of Health document. Pakistan is listed. You need at least one dose of bOPV or IPV, regardless of age.
Do I need a polio vaccine from the UK, USA or Canada?
Those countries are not on the document's polio tables. Check with your clinic if you have travelled recently from a listed country.
Is the flu vaccine compulsory?
No. The seasonal influenza vaccine is recommended for all travellers, not required.
Who needs COVID-19 proof?
People over 65, pregnant women and people with certain chronic conditions listed in the document, such as heart, lung or kidney disease, cancer and immune conditions.
Do I need a yellow fever certificate?
Only if you arrive from a country on the document's yellow fever list. The certificate is valid for life from 10 days after the vaccine.
Where can I read the official document?
On the Ministry of Health website. The link is in the sources below.
Related pages
Sources
The official pages and references we used, with the date we checked them.
- Public Health Authority, Saudi Arabia, Health Requirements and Recommendations for Travelers to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, 1447H (2026), hosted by the Ministry of Health, checked 27/10/2026: www.moh.gov.sa/en/HealthAwareness/Pilgrims-Health/Documents/Health-Regulations-Umrah-EN.pdf (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Health, Pilgrims' health page (lists no 1448H document; page modified 26/10/2026), checked 27/10/2026: www.moh.gov.sa/en/HealthAwareness/Pilgrims-Health/Pages/default.aspx (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, FAQ (health certificates "not required at the present time"; Hajj requires the meningococcal vaccine; vaccination registered in Tawakkalna on entry), checked 27/10/2026: haj.gov.sa/en/FAQ (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK, Saudi Arabia: Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage (valid certificate for the ACWY strains of meningitis, obtained 10 days before arrival), checked 27/10/2026: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/saudi-arabia/pilgrimage (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK, Saudi Arabia health (check vaccine recommendations at least 8 weeks before your trip), checked 27/10/2026: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/saudi-arabia/health (opens in a new tab)
- Government of Canada, Saudi Arabia travel advice (updated 22/10/2026; polio, meningococcal and yellow fever vaccines listed as required for Umrah), checked 27/10/2026: travel.gc.ca/destinations/saudi-arabia (opens in a new tab)
- Hespress English, Morocco's health ministry on the reported suspension of the meningitis requirement (07/02/2025), checked 27/10/2026: en.hespress.com/102902-meningitis-vaccine-mandate-for-umrah-suspended.html (opens in a new tab)
- Geo News, Umrah pilgrims charged Rs4,500 for three vaccines (24/09/2026), checked 27/10/2026: www.geo.tv/latest/683453-umrah-pilgrims-charged-rs4500-for-three-vaccines-including-non-mandatory-flu-shot (opens in a new tab)