Can women go on Umrah alone? Current visa rules and everything you need to know

Can women go on Umrah alone?

Yes. In line with the official decisions taken by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, women can go on Umrah alone. With the current regulations now in force, the requirement for female travellers to be accompanied by a male mahram (husband, father, brother and so on) when applying for a visa or entering the country has been lifted entirely.

Adult women of any age can now apply for an individual visa and put together their own travel programme. Women travelling alone can decide every detail, from the flight ticket to the hotel they will stay in, according to their own budget and preferences, and perform their Umrah in peace.

Can a woman travel without a mahram?

Under the new decisions put into effect by the Saudi Arabian authorities, women can travel without a mahram. The requirement to declare a mahram has been removed from the official visa procedures. With their individual visas, women travellers can complete their own flight, hotel and high-speed train bookings and make the journey alone.

In the past, approval of a visa required proof of the mahram relationship in the passport or an official letter of consent. Today, no such document is requested for tourist or Umrah visa applications. Thanks to the developed accommodation infrastructure, women travellers can move around the holy cities comfortably on their own.

Can a woman go on Umrah alone according to Diyanet?

Diyanet, Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs, and the fiqh councils have adopted fatwas and rulings that women may go on Umrah without a mahram in a safe environment and within a legitimate group. Provided that safety conditions are met, there is no official obstacle to women setting out on an Umrah journey alone or with groups of women.

Fiqh assessments take into account the safety of today’s travel options, the comfort of the journey and hotel infrastructure. In present-day conditions, where travel safety is ensured, the great majority of Islamic jurists consider it appropriate for women to set out for the purpose of worship.

What are the conditions of Umrah for a woman?

The conditions of Umrah for women are having a valid passport and visa, not being in the iddah period, and following the rules of ihram. A woman’s ihram does not consist of special cloth; she enters ihram by making the intention and reciting the talbiyah in plain, ordinary sewn clothing that leaves the hands and face uncovered.

The main fiqh points women should observe during ihram:

• Ihram clothing: Unlike men, women do not use unsewn towel-like cloths. They wear plain, sewn everyday dresses that do not reveal the contours of the body.
• Make-up and fragrance: Once in ihram, it is forbidden to apply perfume or to use scented soap or cosmetic products.
• Cutting the hair (leaving ihram): When Umrah is completed, women do not need to shave their heads as men do; cutting a fingertip’s length (about 1–2 cm) from the ends of the hair is enough to leave ihram.
• Menstruation: A woman who is menstruating enters ihram but cannot perform tawaf until she is clean. Once clean, she performs tawaf and sa’y and completes her Umrah.

What to consider when planning Umrah alone or with a group of women

When travelling alone or with a group made up only of women, making the right accommodation and transport choices has a direct effect on comfort:

• Hotel location close to the Haram: For women visitors, hotels with a direct walking route to Masjid al-Haram and the Prophet’s Mosque make things much easier.
• Gates of the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina: In Medina, the special prayer areas and entrances for women are on the north side of the mosque (gates 24, 25 and 37). Choosing a hotel close to the northern courtyard shortens the walk considerably.
• Rawdah appointment (Nusuk): To visit the Rawdah in the Prophet’s Mosque, an appointment must be booked in advance through the Nusuk app, in the time slots set aside specially for women.

Plan your Umrah on your own calendar

To perform Umrah, you do not have to join tight tour programmes set by others, keep to group timetables or lose time on mahram procedures.

With Zair, you choose your departure and return dates, how far your hotel is from the Haram on foot and your Medina–Makkah high-speed train times yourself. You focus on your worship, and Zair takes care of all the rest of the operation.