Umrah meal voucher: Saudi Arabia’s new mandatory meal policy explained

Saudi Arabia has added a mandatory Umrah meal voucher to the Umrah visa fee for pilgrims from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Egypt. The policy takes effect from 1 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1448 AH, which falls around 14 August 2026, and it changes how much an Umrah visa costs and how pilgrims get fed once they land in Makkah and Madinah.

This is not a proposal under discussion. It has been confirmed by Saudi authorities and reported by multiple outlets, including ProPakistani and Bloom Pakistan, through late July and early August 2026. Below is what the policy actually says, what it costs, and what it means for anyone booking an Umrah package from Pakistan this year.

What the Umrah meal voucher policy is

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is rolling meal costs into the Umrah visa itself through the Nusuk platform, the same digital system that already handles visa issuance, hotel booking, and mandatory transport charges for pilgrims. Meals are now being added to that list.

Every pilgrim from the four affected countries will pay a fixed daily catering charge as part of their visa cost, rather than paying for food separately once they arrive. In exchange, each pilgrim is assigned a BRN meal code tied to their visa. That code works like a prepaid balance, redeemable at restaurants registered on the Nusuk network.

When it starts and who it applies to

The policy starts from 1 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1448 AH. On the Gregorian calendar, that lands around 14 August 2026, though the exact date depends on moon sighting, as with all Hijri month transitions.

The first phase covers four countries: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Egypt. Saudi authorities have said the program will expand to more countries in later phases, but no other countries are covered yet.

How much the meal voucher costs

The charge is 20 Saudi Riyals per pilgrim per day. It is not a flat one-time fee. The total voucher value is calculated by multiplying that daily rate by the pilgrim’s length of stay in Saudi Arabia, then added to the visa cost before the visa is issued.

A pilgrim staying 10 days would have SAR 200 added to their visa fee. A pilgrim staying 14 days would have SAR 280 added. At current exchange rates, that works out to roughly PKR 1,500 to PKR 1,600 per day, though the exact PKR figure will move with the SAR-PKR rate at the time of booking.

How the meal voucher works in practice

Once the visa is processed and the BRN meal code is generated, it is linked directly to the pilgrim’s passport and visa record. More than 10,000 restaurants in Makkah and Madinah have been connected to the Nusuk network to accept it.

To use it, a pilgrim presents the code, either through the Nusuk app or a linked digital ID, at any registered restaurant. The balance draws down as meals are redeemed, based on the total value calculated for the length of stay. This mirrors how the mandatory transport charge already works on the same platform, so agencies and pilgrims who are used to that system will recognize the structure.

What this means for Umrah package prices from Pakistan

Every Umrah package built for pilgrims from these four countries now carries an extra, non-optional line item. A package that used to quote a visa fee without a meal component will need to add the SAR 20 per day charge as Umrah meal voucher, multiplied across the trip length, into the total visa cost.

For a standard 10 to 14 day Umrah trip, that adds somewhere between PKR 15,000 and PKR 25,000 to the visa portion of a package, depending on exchange rates at the time. That is on top of existing visa charges, transport charges, hotel costs, and airfare. It does not replace anything, since hotels including breakfast, or agencies offering meal plans, still operate separately from this voucher. Check Latest Umrah Packages: https://alhamdantravel.com/umrah-packages/

What travel agencies need to do

Agencies quoting Umrah visa costs need to update those quotes to reflect the meal voucher as a mandatory, non-negotiable component, the same way the transport charge is already treated. Quoting a visa price without it will produce a mismatch once the visa is actually processed through Nusuk.

Agencies also need their catering partners, where they use any beyond the Nusuk network, registered correctly on the platform. Saudi authorities have indicated that outdated pricing or an unregistered caterer can delay visa processing, which is a real risk for agencies working close to departure dates.

The Umrah meal voucher is now a fixed part of the Umrah visa cost for pilgrims from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Egypt, starting from 1 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1448 AH. It adds SAR 20 per pilgrim per day to the visa fee and gives pilgrims a BRN-linked balance to use at more than 10,000 registered restaurants in Makkah and Madinah. Anyone booking an Umrah package from Pakistan after this date should confirm with their agency that the quoted visa cost already includes this charge, rather than finding it added later.