Documenting Umrah housing contracts in Makkah and Madinah on Nusuk Masar
An Umrah visa depends on a documented housing contract with a licensed hospitality facility. What should your company track before and during the season?
A housing contract is no longer just between a company and a hotel. According to Okaz’s reports of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s direction, documenting housing contracts with licensed hospitality facilities became a condition for issuing a visa. This guide explains to Umrah company teams and agents what was announced, and how to organise the follow-up in Makkah and Madinah.
What did the ministry announce?
Okaz reported on 11 June 2025 that the ministry called on Umrah companies, establishments and overseas agents to document housing contracts with hospitality facilities licensed by the Ministry of Tourism through Nusuk Masar, from the Umrah season starting 14 Dhu al-Hijjah 1446. On 13 June 2025 it reported a circular stating that a visa is not issued until a documented, licensed housing contract is verified.
For season 1448, the Nusuk Masar guide covers what was announced on agent qualification and final contracting. We did not find the full text of the rules published on the ministry’s website, so these paragraphs rely on the press reports listed under sources.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Base your decisions on what the ministry publishes and what you see on Nusuk Masar.
Why does this matter to your company now?
Because enforcement now reaches suspension. The National reported in October 2026 that the ministry suspended four companies and acted against four overseas agents after pilgrims were housed in unlicensed facilities, and referred the companies to a committee reviewing pilgrims’ complaints. Okaz reported in December 2025 that a company and its overseas agent were suspended for not providing the contracted housing.
Note that action reached the overseas agent too. Your relationship with agents is part of this file, as the guide to managing overseas agents explains.
A checklist before documenting a contract
These internal checks help a contracting team before it reaches the documentation step:
- Confirm the facility’s name as on its licence, and that it is the same facility named in the contract.
- Keep a copy of the licence, record its expiry date, and name who verifies it.
- Match the licence’s validity against every night of the stay, not just the contract’s start date.
- Decide who documents the contract, your company or its agent, as the platform allows.
- Link each group to the contract it stays on, before requesting its visas.
- Review the contract’s capacity against what was sold, so sales do not exceed what was documented.
Mistakes that disrupt a season
Avoiding these does not take a complex system, just a clear owner for each check:
| Mistake | Effect | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Selling before documenting | Late visas and stranded groups | Document early, as the ministry advises |
| A licence that lapses mid-stay | Nights without regulatory cover | Check every night, not one date |
| Moving a group to a substitute hotel in a hurry | An unlicensed or undocumented facility | Prepare licensed, documented alternatives before peak |
| Relying on the agent without follow-up | Action that can reach both company and agent | Ask for the documented contract for each group |
Makkah and Madinah: what differs?
The same check applies in both cities, but each stage has its own contract and dates. A programme with five nights in Makkah and four in Madinah means verifying two facilities and two periods. Track each city’s rooms in its own allotment: Madinah hotel allotments have a different rhythm from Makkah. Then move from there to the rooming list.
Who follows this up inside the company?
This follow-up usually spreads across contracting, visas and housing, and part of it falls between them. Name one owner for the contract register, and ask for a short weekly report before peak: contracts still undocumented, licences nearing expiry, and groups without a contract. Have the visa team check that register before a request is made, not after it stalls.
How Umrah Link helps
Documentation itself happens on Nusuk Masar and your team does it there, because Umrah Link does not connect to Nusuk. But it keeps the checks that precede it in one place, under Housing, transport & field:
- Each supplier’s licences are recorded, including the tourism hospitality licence for accommodation, and a licence counts only once verified.
- A housing contract counts as usable for a group only if it covers every day of the stay, with a licence in force throughout. A licence lapsing mid-stay makes it unusable for that departure.
- Room blocks are built on the contract itself, so sales stay tied to what you contracted.
Common questions
Who documents the housing contract?
According to Okaz’s report of the ministry’s circular, documentation runs through Saudi Umrah companies and their overseas agents using Masar and Nusuk. Check what the platform allows your company this season.
Is a hotel’s rating enough?
What the ministry announced is a facility licensed by the Ministry of Tourism and a documented contract. Check the facility’s status with the Ministry of Tourism and on Nusuk Masar.
Does Umrah Link document the contract for us?
No. There is no connection between Umrah Link and Nusuk. Documentation happens on the official platform, and the system tracks the contract, licence and allotment inside your company.
Sources
- Ministry of Hajj and Umrah
- Nusuk
- Okaz: the ministry tells Umrah companies and overseas agents to document housing contracts (11 June 2025, in Arabic)
- Okaz: the ministry’s circular on documenting housing contracts before visas (13 June 2025, in Arabic)
- The National: four companies suspended over unlicensed housing (October 2026)
- Okaz: an Umrah company and its overseas agent suspended for not providing housing (December 2025, in Arabic)
This guide is general information. The rules and dates are the named authorities’ to set, so check their own pages before acting.
