Each applicant for a Hajj visa must apply through a licensed travel agency, which must present the Consulate with copies of “Accommodation Contacts” and a letter of the Ministry of Hajj in Saudi Arabia confirming that the travel agency has duly completed all requirements to qualify to assist pilgrims.

Applications for Hajj visa will not be considered if the following requirements are not complete:

1. The applicant must have a passport with a validity of at least six (6) months and acceptable both for entry to Saudi Arabia and entry to the next destination; the passport should have at least two empty visa pages adjacent to each other.
2. Each applicant must submit one (1) recent passport size color photograph with a white background. The photograph must be a full-face view in which the visa applicant is facing the camera directly. Side or angled views are NOT accepted.
3. The applicant must submit a completed application form filled in with black ink pen or printed; the form must be signed and stamped by the authorized travel agency.
4. The Mahram should write his complete information on the application forms of his spouse and children or any relative with whom he is traveling. He should also provide copies of marriage or birth certificates; if these documents were issued outside the USA, he should then provide copies translated and notarized by a certified translation office.
5. All ladies are required to travel for Hajj with a Mahram. Proof of kinship must be submitted with the application form. Any lady over the age of forty-five (45) may travel without a Mahram with an organized group, provided she submits a letter of no objection from her husband, son or brother authorizing her to travel for Hajj with the named group. This letter should be notarized.
6. The applicant must be in possession of a non-refundable roundtrip ticket with confirmed reservations.
7. The applicant must submit proof of vaccination for meningitis and ACYW135. For infants and children up to fifteen (15) years of age, a vaccination report is required for polio as well as meningitis and polio. Children over fifteen (15) years of age should present the same vaccinations requested for adults.
8. Each pilgrim should submit two certified checks or cashier checks payable to ‘Unified Agents Office’ in Jeddah for pilgrimage services. These checks should include the name and the passport number of the pilgrim. Each applicant must pay the following fees:
   (a) US $158.40 (one hundred fifty-eight dollars & forty cents) for services rendered by the local Tawaf agencies and for housing at the Holy sites.
   (b) US $116.00 (one hundred sixteen dollars only) for air-conditioned transportation services.
   Pilgrims have the option to submit one check combining both fees: in this case, the amount would be US$ 274.40 (two hundred seventy-four dollars & forty cents).
   Children between the age of seven (7) and fifteen (15) should only pay half of the above-mentioned amount.
   Children under the age of seven (7) do not need to pay.
9. Non-US citizens should submit a copy of their green card or documented proof of legal residence status in the USA. Passport authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reserve the right to return (at his or her own expense) any pilgrim who has provided wrong or false information about their residence in the USA.
10. No applicant under the legal age of eighteen (18) will be granted a Hajj visa if not accompanied by his family.
11. If the applicant has converted to Islam, an Islamic certificate must be presented; this needs to be notarized by an Islamic Center.

General Guidelines:

• Travelers must carry vaccination certificates with them for inspection by the Saudi Authority at port of entry.
• No food products are allowed into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• The last day to enter King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah for the purpose of Hajj is 4 Dhu Al-Hijjah of each year.
• Upon arrival, pilgrims shall hand their passports to the custody of the “Unified Agents Office” representatives to enable the latter to complete all travel formalities to Makkah and Madinah.
• In the event that pilgrims lose their passport, they should immediately report the loss to the same office appointed to take care of them during Hajj. Applicants must obtain a report from the office of the Unified Agents in which the loss of passport is mentioned.
• All pilgrims must leave the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after Hajj no later than the 10th of Muharram of each year. The rules and regulations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia forbid any pilgrims from staying in the country after the completion of Hajj.

General guidelines for travel agencies:

• Travel agents must provide the consulate with Residence, Tawaf, and transportation contracts. They also must provide the unified contract that verifies the general services provided to pilgrims. This contact must include the name of the organizer, the code given to him by the Ministry of Haj, and the number of visas he’s allowed to get. He also must provide the consulate with a letter from the Ministry of Hajj’s office in Makkah. All these documents should arrive at the consulate before Hajj visas are issued.
• Passports will be returned if the information submitted is not compatible with the information sent electronically by the Ministry of Pilgrimage. The Embassy reserves the right to inform the ministry of Pilgrimage about travel agencies that submit inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Travel agencies should affix on each passport a sticker showing the agency’s name, address and telephone number.
• In the case that a travel agency wishes to submit any question or complaints to the Ministry of Haj, they could do so through the company or agency they deal with in Saudi Arabia or through the official routes in their country.

Notes:

• Visitors should not overstay the time granted on the visa.
• Visitors to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia must abide by the country’s Islamic laws and regulations and respect its society’s values and traditions.
• The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s laws against drug trafficking are strictly enforced. Violators are subject to severe punishment, which may include the death penalty.
• Sectarian, political or religious gatherings are forbidden.