Frequently asked questions
These are the questions guests actually ask us, answered the way we actually work. If yours is not here, open the planner and ask Ibrahim, or write to support@umrahcompanions.com.
Planning and prices
How do I get a price?
Open the planner and tell Ibrahim four things: the city you fly from, how many are travelling, when you want to go, and how many nights you have. That is the whole checklist. Your package is then built from live prices - a named hotel in Makkah, a named hotel in Madinah, a real fare - and sent to you as a document you can keep and share.
Why is there no price list on this site?
Because a printed price would be wrong by the time you read it. Room rates in Makkah and Madinah move with the season and with how close you are to the Haram, and airfares move daily. We quote from our own rate book at the moment you ask, and we do not publish a figure we cannot stand behind.
What is included in a package?
- Return flights
- Hotel nights in Makkah and in Madinah
- The Umrah visa and the mandatory insurance issued with it
- Airport transfers, and the move between the two cities by Haramain train or private vehicle
- Guided Ziyarah, where your package includes it
Meals and gifts are personal spending on top unless your package says otherwise. Every package document lists what it holds, line by line, so nothing is assumed.
Can I change the package after you send it?
Yes. Tell us what to change - the nights, the hotel, the order of the cities, who is coming - and we rebuild it and send the new document. Once something has been booked and confirmed, the rules on our transfer terms page apply.
Do you plan for elderly travellers and wheelchair users?
Yes, and it changes which hotel we recommend. For anyone with limited mobility we look for a short step-free walk to the Haram rather than a cheaper hotel that depends on a long shuttle ride and a long walk at the far end, lifts to every floor, and rooms on lower floors. Wheelchairs, pushers and electric carts are available around the clock at the Haram, and the upper levels of the mataf are calmer than the ground floor at busy times. Tell us who is travelling before we choose the hotel, not after.
Do you plan for families with young children?
Yes. A room that technically sleeps four is not the same as a room a family can live in for two weeks, so we look for genuine family rooms or two connecting rooms, a kettle or fridge, and lifts. Tell us the ages and we will say plainly which option works.
Paying
How do I pay?
By bank transfer, or by card through our checkout. If you transfer, you upload the proof on your own package page and our finance team verifies it before the booking moves on. The account details are printed on your invoice.
Can I pay in instalments?
Instalments are a Pakistan option. If you are booking on a Pakistani number and your travel date is more than ten days away, the schedule is a 40% deposit, due within three days, and the balance after it: within seven days when you are travelling thirty days or more from now, and within four days when you are travelling sooner. Guests booking from the UK, the USA, Canada, the UAE and anywhere else pay in full, due within three days. If your Umrah is within ten days there is no room for instalments at all: the full amount is due the next day.
What happens if I miss a payment date?
Nothing is held for you by the hotel or the airline until it is paid for, so a missed deadline can cost you the room or the fare you were quoted. Talk to us before the date rather than after it. What has already been paid is dealt with under our refund policy.
Visas and permits
Can I take just the visa, without a package?
Yes. Visa only is a service we offer, and nobody will be pushed into a package they did not ask for. See the Umrah visa page.
How long does the visa take?
Normally three to seven working days once your documents are complete. Ramadan and school holidays run longer. We will give you the honest range and never promise a specific day, because the issuing is not ours to promise.
What documents do you need from a Pakistani passport holder?
- Passport valid at least six months beyond travel, with two blank pages
- One passport-size photograph on a white background
- A copy of the CNIC
- For women and children travelling without the head of the family, the family relationship documents
Biometrics at an authorised centre may be required depending on current Saudi rules.
Can I perform Hajj on an Umrah visa?
No. An Umrah visa is not valid for Hajj, which needs its own permit. Being in Makkah on an Umrah visa during the Hajj days without that permit risks fines and deportation. We arrange Umrah only.
What is Nusuk, and do I need it?
Nusuk is the Saudi platform that issues the time-slot permits for Umrah itself and for the Rawdah visit in Madinah during busy periods. Install it before you travel, carry the permits on your phone, and keep a printed backup, because the gates scan the QR code. Umrah Companions arranges your travel; permits and Rawdah slots are administered by the Saudi authorities, so please verify the current rules on Nusuk when you book.
How do I visit the Rawdah?
With a Rawdah permit through Nusuk. Permits are issued per person, with separate men's and ladies' time slots, and slots fill days ahead in high season, so book early and plan the rest of the group's day around the time you are given.
Can I perform Umrah more than once on the same trip?
During Ramadan and peak weeks the authorities may limit repeat Umrahs to once per period per person through Nusuk. Check the app's current policy while you are there.
On the journey
Do I need vaccinations?
Meningococcal ACWY vaccination is the standard requirement for an Umrah visa, and seasonal flu and routine vaccines are recommended. Certificate requirements change, so confirm the current list when you apply.
Does a woman need a mahram?
Under current Saudi policy a woman performing Umrah does not need a mahram. Policies evolve, so verify it when you book. A woman who is menstruating delays Tawaf until purity but may perform every other part of the journey, including entering Ihram.
How do I get between Makkah and Madinah?
Usually on the Haramain high-speed rail, which links Jeddah airport, Makkah and Madinah in roughly two to two and a half hours between the two holy cities. Its luggage limits resemble airline cabin rules, so large cases travel better with a hotel transfer coach where that is part of your package.
Can I bring Zamzam home?
Drink freely at the dispensers, and buy the sealed five-litre container for the flight home only at an approved point. Airlines commonly allow one per pilgrim on Saudi routes, but confirm it with your carrier before you buy it.
What about money and my phone?
The currency is the Saudi riyal (SAR). Cards and contactless are accepted almost everywhere. An eSIM, or a SIM bought at the airport, is the easiest way to stay connected.
Talking to us
Is Ibrahim a person?
Ibrahim is our AI companion, and he is grounded in this house's own knowledge base rather than left to invent answers. A member of our team can step into the same conversation at any time, and when they do, Ibrahim stands aside and the person answers you.
Can I speak to a human being?
Yes, at any point. Ask in the chat, use the contact page, or write to support@umrahcompanions.com.
Start your plan
Tell us the city you fly from, how many of you are travelling, when you want to go and how many nights you have. That is the whole checklist, and the package is built from live prices while you wait.
Plan your Umrah with Ibrahim or write to support@umrahcompanions.com.