How to Apply for Umrah Visa from the UK? Process Plus Cost Analysis

Umrah is a sacred journey that every Muslim wishes to undertake to cleanse his soul and attain closeness to Allah. Many UK residents also have similar desires but they need guidance to undergo the Umrah application process.

Applying for the Umrah visa can be hectic as intending pilgrims often have to face confusion about the application process and booking Umrah Packages UK. Well, this article is for every UK Muslim who desires to embark on this holy journey. In this article, we’ll discuss the visa request process and also share the cost analysis of December Umrah packages 2024.

Request Process for Umrah Visa

An Umrah visa process can be confusing so let’s break it down for you to easily navigate through every step of the process:

1. Eligibility Criteria

1. Be a Muslim.
2. Be over 18 years of age unless you’re traveling with a guardian.
3. Have a passport with a minimum of six months of validity from the date of entry into Saudi Arabia.
4. Have evidence of relationship if you’re traveling with family members e.g., birth or marriage certificates.

2. Prepare Documents

An Umrah visa is a travel document issued by the Saudi authorities that allows Muslims to enter the country, perform Umrah, and travel around. Whether you’re from the UK or any other country, travel agencies require these documents to apply for your visa:

1. Completed original Umrah visa request document.
2. A passport that is valid for a minimum of six months at the time of request.
3. The latest color photo with a white background that fits the passport size.
4. Proof of airline ticket, verified and non-refundable.
5. A vaccination certificate against meningitis or any other illness. The certificate must not be above three years old and issued a minimum of 10 days before entering KSA.
6. A certificate from a mosque or Islamic center, confirming the faith of pilgrims that are new converts or have non-Muslim names.
7. An official permit of residency, for pilgrims not applying from their home countries.

3. Select an Approved Umrah Travel Agency

After you’ve prepared the documents, the second step is to look for a reliable Umrah travel agency that legally operates in the UK. The agency has to be ATOL-certified or IATA-protected as per the laws of the UK. KSA only issues Umrah visas to these approved travel agencies. Therefore, the agency you choose must be reputable and licensed.

4. Submit Documents

After choosing the approved travel agency, you’ve to then submit your visa documents. The agency guides you through this process but you can follow these three steps to submit your papers:

1. Fill out the Umrah visa request form that the agency provides. Make sure that all the details are correct and match the information on your your passport.
2. Provide the required papers, including your passport, photos, hotel booking, flight tickets, vaccination certificate, relationship proof (for women), and conversion certificate (for new Muslims).
3. Pay the visa charges plus any other service fee that the travel agency demands. The rates can vary depending on the deal and services included.

5. Wait for Visa Approval

The travel agency forwards all the important documents to the Saudi consulate for processing. It takes a few days or weeks so you’ve to wait until then. In the meantime, you can prepare for your Umrah. Keep in touch with your travel agent to get updates about your visa status.

6. Receive the Visa

Once your visa is processed, the travel agency will let you know. You will need to visit the agency to collect your passport with visa stamped inside it. Review your visa and verify all the details on it such as your name, travel dates, passport number, etc.

Online Application Process

Applying online is easy if you follow these simple steps:

1. Visit the official Saudi e-Visa portal or go to the Ministry of Hajj app.
2. Create a new account by providing an email and unique password.
3. Fill out the visa request form by providing passport details, personal info, and travel plans.
4. Upload scanned copies of your images, vaccination certificates, and passport.
5. Pay the visa cost through a debit or credit card. The cost varies, so check the latest fares on the official website.
6. Review all the details and submit your application.

Receiving the Visa

Wait for a few days until your request is processed. You will receive the e-Visa via email. Print a copy and keep it with yourself during the trip. The eVisa is effective for one year and allows multiple entries to the Kingdom. However, each stay cannot exceed 90 days.

Lucrative Umrah Packages for UK Muslims

Among all the major pilgrimage deals offered to UK Muslims, December Umrah Packages prove to be the most lucrative ones. The reason is that they can easily find time to embark on Umrah due to the Christmas holidays in the last half of December.

However, doing Umrah in the first half of December also has its benefits such as low hotel and flight rates, pleasant weather, small crowds, etc. We’ll give you an overview of December pilgrimage deals 2024 plus other factors to consider to do a cost analysis for yourself. You can figure out which package to opt for, based on your budget.

A typical December Umrah package includes hotel, flight, Umrah visa, Meal, Transfer services, and Ziyarat trip. The first two options are essential while others are optional. Let’s discuss per person price for each of the services:

• Hotel – 300 to 400£ pp (per person for short)
• Flight – 580 to 600£ pp (for indirect economy Flight), 680 to 700 £ pp (for direct economy Flight)
• Umrah Visa – 40£ pp
• Meal – 80 to 100£ pp (Breakfast Only)
• Ziyarat – 40£ pp

Excluding meals, all the other prices are for a 3-star December Umrah package for the first half of the month. However, if you want to book a 4 or 5-star package, add 150£ pp to hotel rate and 30 – 50£ pp for meal services. If you’re going for a business class flight service in the first 15 days of December, it will cost you around 2400£ pp.

To analyze the budget for a 3-star December Umrah plan 2024 for the second half of the month, add 50 – 80£ pp for every service excluding flight. For higher packages, add 150£ pp to hotel rates and 20 to 40£ pp for meal services as done earlier. If you’re going for a business class service in the last 15 days of December, it will cost you around 3400£ pp.

Note: Flight rates also vary with airline e.g., Saudi Airlines is 40£ expensive than Qatar Airways while British Airways is 40£ expensive than Saudi Airlines. For business travel, Saudi Airlines is 300£ expensive than Qatar Airways while British Airways is 300£ expensive than Saudi Airlines.

Umrah is an important journey in a Muslim’s life so its important to make the right choices while planning your journey. Applying for Umrah visa and doing budget analysis are one of the most vital aspects of the planning process, made easy through this article. Contact Muslims Holy Travel and discuss your Umrah plan today. Make early bookings to avail maximum package benefits.

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