The short answer
What is the Nusuk app, and who needs it?
The Nusuk app is the official platform of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. For a pilgrim from Pakistan it does three jobs: it issues the Umrah permit that ties your Umrah to a date and time, it books a slot to pray in Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah, and for Hajj pilgrims it holds the digital Nusuk card. It also sells packages, hotels and transport from licensed providers.
Every pilgrim needs an Umrah permit, whatever visa they came on — Umrah, tourist, family visit or transit; our explainer on Umrah on a tourist visa covers the visa side. If your operator says it will “handle Nusuk”, ask exactly what that means, and install the app yourself anyway: you will want to see your own permits.
Creating your Nusuk account with your passport and visa
Register once your visa has been issued, because the app checks your visa number. You don’t need a Saudi SIM or the Tawakkalna app; a Pakistani mobile number and an email address work. Our Umrah visa guide explains how the visa itself is issued. Then:
- Install “Nusuk” and check the developer is the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah
- Choose the visitor account, not citizen or resident
- Enter passport number, visa number, date of birth and nationality exactly as printed
- Add your mobile number and email, then enter the code you receive
- Set a password; you log in later with your passport number
- Check the profile: name, passport number and visa all match
How to book a Nusuk Umrah permit
Book before you reach Makkah; many pilgrims book from Pakistan once their flights are fixed. A Nusuk Umrah permit covers one date and one time window, and the ministry says permits issued in the app are active immediately. Only one active Umrah permit is allowed per person at a time, so the next one is booked after the first slot has passed. The rites themselves are in our step-by-step guide on how to perform Umrah.
- Open Permits, or Umrah under the Holy Mosque services
- Choose who the permit is for: you or a linked family member
- Pick a date, then an open time slot
- Accept the terms and tap “Issue permit”
- Find it under Permits with its QR code, and screenshot it as a backup
What needs a Nusuk permit, and what doesn’t
Permits control the busiest acts of worship, not your presence in the two mosques. This is how it works on an ordinary day outside Hajj:
| What you want to do | Permit needed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Perform Umrah | Yes, a Nusuk Umrah permit | Entry for Umrah is tied to the permit’s time |
| Pray in Masjid al-Haram | No | Prayer is open at any time |
| Voluntary tawaf when not in ihram | No | Stewards direct you to the floors open for it |
| Pray in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah | No | Open to everyone, day and night |
| Pray in Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah | Yes, a separate Rawdah permit | Different times for men and women |
| Visit Quba Mosque or Uhud | No | Go with your group or a licensed tour |
| Perform Hajj | Yes: a Hajj visa, permit and Nusuk card | No Umrah, tourist or visit visa allows it |
| Stay in Makkah from 1 Dhu al-Qa’dah | A Hajj permit | About 8 April 2027 until Hajj ends |
Permit time slots, and what happens if you miss yours
Pick a slot you can actually make. Saudi Arabia is two hours behind Pakistan, so if you book from home, be sure you are reading the slot in Saudi time, and allow for a delayed flight, the road from Jeddah or Madinah, hotel check-in and a rest. In Ramadan the next free slot can be many hours away, so book with a margin rather than to the minute.
The rules on changes are strict, according to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s FAQ:
- You can’t change a permit’s time; cancel it before the slot starts and book again
- Once the slot has started, you can’t cancel it
- Arrive after your slot, and you wait for it to expire, then issue a new permit
- You can still enter the mosque to pray at any time
Adding family members and companions
Each pilgrim’s permit is tied to their own passport and visa, but one person can book for a family. Nusuk links people as dependants or as companions. The ministry’s FAQ says you can add up to four companions, not counting dependants; a companion request has to be accepted within 24 hours or it lapses, and a link can only be removed after 15 days.
For parents without smartphones, set up their profiles with them before you fly, using an email address someone in the family checks, then link them to your account. Which link type the app offers depends on the account and visa, so do this at home, with every passport to hand, rather than in a hotel lobby in Makkah.
The one-active-permit rule applies across the group. If you see “Exceeded the maximum number of active permits”, someone you linked already holds an active Umrah permit; find it, cancel it if its slot hasn’t started, and book everyone together for the same slot.
Rawdah booking in Nusuk: how it works now
Praying in Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah, the area between the Prophet’s house and his minbar, needs its own permit. Rawdah booking in Nusuk works like the Umrah permit — choose the Rawdah service, then a date and time — but with tighter limits. How often you may book has changed several times, and older ministry guidance said once every 30 days; the app enforces whichever rule is current. If the date you want is gone, take the earliest you can get and plan your Madinah days around it.
- Men and women have separate time windows, and Friday times differ
- Since December 2025, scheduled permits are reported as one per person every 365 days
- An instant option appears near the mosque, with location on, when capacity allows
- Queue at the time on your permit, through the entrance the stewards show
- If you can’t go, cancel early so the slot is released
The Nusuk card is for Hajj, not Umrah
The Nusuk card is the identity card Saudi Arabia issues to Hajj pilgrims. It proves legal entry for Hajj, carries your accommodation details and must be with you from arrival to departure, including on the way to Mina and Arafat. The ministry’s Nusuk card page says the digital version sits in the Nusuk app under “Nusuk Card”, and a lost printed card is reissued through your group leader.
Umrah pilgrims are not issued one; the visa and Umrah permit do that job. From Pakistan, Hajj places come through the two official schemes, as our explainer on the Hajj 2027 government scheme sets out. When your card arrives, check the name, photo and package details against your booking.
Common Nusuk app errors, and what usually fixes them
Most problems come from typing, not the system. Before you fly, sit down with every passport and check each profile once. These are the errors pilgrims hit most:
- Visa not found: the visa isn’t issued yet, or a digit is wrong
- Name mismatch: re-enter it exactly as printed on the visa
- Too many active permits: an earlier permit in your group is still live
- Permit not showing: pull down on the Permits screen to refresh
- No Rawdah dates: the 365-day limit or a full calendar
- Login fails: you may have chosen the citizen or resident account type
- Copycat apps: use only the ministry’s own app
Frequently asked questions
This is general guidance
