Nusuk Complete Guide for Indian Pilgrims:
Account, Visa, Rawdah & Troubleshooting

What is the Nusuk platform and what 7 services does it offer Indian pilgrims?

Source: Saudi Ministry of Hajj & Umrah · nusuk.sa

Nusuk is the unified digital gateway of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, replacing the older Nusuk Masar system (masar.nusuk.sa) that managed Madinah visit services pre-2022. 7 services are available to Indian pilgrims on the Nusuk platform: Umrah visa application (the primary service), Rawdah visit permits, Makkah accommodation, Madinah accommodation, Hajj package operator selection, transportation, and ziyarat tours. The platform supports 7 languages — Arabic, English, Urdu, French, Indonesian, Turkish, and Persian — with English and Urdu being the most used by Indian pilgrims.

How do Indian pilgrims create a Nusuk account step by step?

Indian pilgrims create a Nusuk account in 6 steps, taking 8–12 minutes with a valid Indian passport and an active email address. The account is tied permanently to the Indian passport number — pilgrims who obtain a new passport must create a new Nusuk account with the new passport number, as the system links all records to the original document.

1. Visit nusuk.sa or download the Nusuk app

   Open nusuk.sa in a desktop browser (recommended for first-time registration) or download the Nusuk app from the iOS App Store or Google Play. Use the English language toggle at the top-right corner — the platform defaults to Arabic for users in India. Avoid third-party Nusuk lookalike sites; verify the URL reads exactly nusuk.sa in the browser address bar.

   ✓ Use Chrome or Safari — Firefox occasionally shows form rendering errors on Nusuk
2. Click "Register" and select pilgrim type

   Click the "Register" button on the Nusuk homepage. Select "Individual Pilgrim" (not "Operator" or "Service Provider"). Choose "International Pilgrim" as your category, then select "India" from the country dropdown. The system loads the Indian passport number input field and passport type selector.
3. Enter Indian passport details exactly

   Enter the passport number exactly as it appears on the bio-data page — Indian passport numbers follow the format A1234567 (1 letter + 7 digits). Enter the full legal name in English as it appears on the passport, the date of birth (DD/MM/YYYY format), the passport issue date, and the passport expiry date. Name mismatches of even 1 character between the Nusuk profile and the passport cause visa rejection at the submission stage.

   ✓ Double-check passport number format — no spaces, no hyphens
4. Enter email address and mobile number

   Enter a valid email address (Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook — avoid temporary email services) and an Indian mobile number in +91 format. If OTP does not arrive on the Indian mobile number, switch to email-only verification by clicking "Verify by Email" — this bypasses the mobile OTP requirement entirely and is the recommended method for Indian pilgrims.
5. Verify email OTP and set password

   Check the registered email inbox for a 6-digit OTP from [email protected]. Enter the OTP within 5 minutes — it expires after 5 minutes. Set a password of minimum 8 characters including at least 1 uppercase letter, 1 number, and 1 special character. Avoid simple passwords — the Nusuk system rejects passwords containing the account holder's name or passport number.

   ✓ Check Spam/Promotions folder if OTP email is not in Inbox within 2 minutes
6. Upload profile photograph

   Upload a JPG or PNG photograph meeting Saudi visa photo standards: white background, 35×45 mm, face occupying 70–80% of the frame, no glasses, neutral expression, head covering permitted for religious reasons. The Nusuk automated face detection system scans the photograph immediately — photographs with coloured backgrounds, shadows, or sunglasses are rejected automatically with an error message.

   ✓ Use a recent photo — within 6 months of application date

How do Indian pilgrims apply for the Umrah e-Visa through Nusuk?

The Umrah e-Visa application on Nusuk takes 20–30 minutes for a prepared Indian pilgrim with all documents ready in digital format. The SAR 300 fee (approximately ₹6,800) is charged at Step 7 of the application and is non-refundable for approved visas. Rejected applications caused by Ministry processing decisions — not document errors — receive a full SAR 300 refund within 7–14 business days.

1. Log in and navigate to "Umrah Visa" under Pilgrim Services

   Log in at nusuk.sa with your registered email and password. From the dashboard, click "Pilgrim Services" in the top navigation bar, then select "Umrah Visa" from the dropdown. The system displays your passport details pre-filled from the registration profile — verify them before proceeding.
2. Enter Saudi Visa Bio biometric reference number

   Enter the biometric reference number received from the Saudi Visa Bio app enrollment. First-time Saudi visitors cannot proceed past this step without completing biometric enrollment. Indian pilgrims who previously entered Saudi Arabia on any prior visa — including work visits, tourist visits, or prior Umrah — are exempt from re-enrollment and enter their passport number to confirm prior biometric status.
3. Upload scanned passport bio-data page

   Upload a clear scan or photograph of the Indian passport bio-data page (the page with the MRZ machine-readable zone at the bottom). File format: JPG or PDF, maximum 2MB. The Nusuk OCR system reads the MRZ and cross-checks it against the manually entered passport details from registration — discrepancies generate an error requiring correction before proceeding.
4. Upload return flight ticket and hotel booking confirmations

   Upload the return flight ticket PDF showing the Indian pilgrim's name, flight number, departure city (Kozhikode CCJ, Mumbai BOM, Delhi DEL, Hyderabad HYD, or other embarkation city), and Jeddah (JED) or Madinah (MED) as the destination. Upload hotel confirmation PDFs for both Makkah and Madinah accommodations. Hotels must appear in the Nusuk-registered accommodation directory — hotels not listed on Nusuk generate a "hotel not found" error.
5. Upload Meningococcal vaccination certificate

   Upload the Meningococcal ACWY quadrivalent vaccination certificate as a JPG or PDF. The certificate must show the hospital stamp, physician registration number, vaccine batch number, and administration date within 3 years of travel. Indian pilgrims vaccinated at CoWIN-registered government hospitals can link their CoWIN certificate directly — the Nusuk system cross-references CoWIN data via DIGI-LOCKER integration for verified auto-approval.

   ✓ CoWIN-linked certificates process 40% faster than uploaded private hospital certificates
6. Upload Mahram declaration (women under 45 only)

   Indian women under 45 upload the Nusuk Mahram declaration form (downloadable from the Nusuk Forms section) completed and signed by the Mahram, along with supporting proof of relationship: a notarised marriage certificate (for husband), birth certificate (for father or brother), or family registration document. Women aged 45 and above and women in HGO-registered organised groups skip this step — the system detects exemption based on age entered during registration.
7. Pay SAR 300 and receive confirmation

   Pay SAR 300 using a Visa, Mastercard, or American Express card. Indian debit cards with international transaction enabled (HDFC, SBI, ICICI, Axis) and UPI-linked international cards (Niyo Global, Fi Money) also work. The system issues a payment confirmation email within 5 minutes. The Nusuk application reference number in this email is used to track visa status on the Saudi MOFA portal (visa.mofa.gov.sa) independently of your Nusuk login.
8. Download approved e-Visa PDF from "My Visas"

   The approved Umrah e-Visa arrives as a PDF email attachment within 24–72 hours. Log in to Nusuk → "My Visas" to track the 3 status stages: Application Received (immediate), Under Review (24–48 hours), and Visa Issued. The approved e-Visa PDF contains a QR code scanned by Saudi immigration at the airport. Print the PDF or save it to the smartphone's offline storage — internet connectivity at Jeddah airport immigration can be unreliable.

   ✓ Print 2 copies — one for immigration, one backup

What is the Rawdah permit on Nusuk and how do Indian pilgrims book it?

The Rawdah permit grants Indian pilgrims access to Riyad al-Jannah — the "Garden of Paradise" — the blessed area between the Prophet Muhammad's (ﷺ) noble grave (Hujra Sharifa) and his pulpit (Minbar) inside Masjid al-Nabawi in Madinah. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Between my house and my minbar is a garden from the gardens of Paradise" (Bukhari 1195, Muslim 1391). Rawdah permits are free, limited to 10–15 pilgrims per 15-minute slot, and released on Nusuk exactly 14 days before the visit date. Permits sell out within 5–15 minutes of release during peak Hajj and Ramadan seasons.

How many times can an Indian pilgrim visit the Rawdah using Nusuk?

Indian pilgrims book 1 Rawdah slot per 24-hour period — the Nusuk system prevents the same passport number from booking multiple slots on the same calendar date. A pilgrim staying 5 nights in Madinah books up to 5 Rawdah visits on 5 separate dates. The 10-15 person per slot limit is strictly enforced by physical turnstiles at the Rawdah entry — permit holders who arrive more than 5 minutes after their slot start time forfeit their entry and require a new booking for the next available date.

How do Indian pilgrims book Makkah and Madinah hotels on Nusuk?

Nusuk's hotel directory lists 200+ Ministry-approved hotels in Makkah and 100+ in Madinah, filterable by distance from the Haram (50m to 3km), star rating (3-star to 5-star), price per night (SAR 150 to SAR 3,000+), and room type (single, double, triple, quad sharing). Hotels booked through Nusuk satisfy the visa application hotel confirmation requirement — their booking reference number auto-populates the visa form without requiring a PDF upload.

Is it cheaper to book Makkah hotels on Nusuk or on Booking.com and Agoda?

Booking.com and Agoda list Makkah hotels at 10–25% lower prices than the Nusuk directory for the same hotels during off-peak months (Muharram, Safar, Rabi). Nusuk hotel prices are higher because all listed properties pay a Ministry listing fee built into the displayed rates. Indian pilgrims who book hotels outside Nusuk must upload the external booking confirmation PDF to the visa application form — the system accepts Booking.com and Agoda confirmation PDFs provided the hotel appears in the Nusuk-recognised accommodation list (cross-reference at nusuk.sa before booking externally).

What does the Nusuk app offer that the Nusuk website does not?

The Nusuk iOS and Android app provides 4 exclusive features not available on the nusuk.sa desktop website: real-time Masjid al-Haram crowd density maps (showing congestion levels at all 6 Haram gate clusters), push notifications for Rawdah permit slot releases (eliminating the need to manually monitor the website at 10:30 PM IST), in-app Saudi Visa Bio biometric enrollment integration (on supported devices), and offline QR code display for approved Umrah visas and Rawdah permits without requiring an internet connection. The app is available in 7 languages — select Urdu for the closest match to Indian pilgrims who prefer reading in Urdu script.

Why is the Nusuk OTP not arriving on Indian mobile numbers and how do Indian pilgrims fix it?

Nusuk OTP delivery to Indian (+91) numbers fails in 3 documented scenarios: the Indian mobile number is not enabled for international SMS reception (a carrier-level restriction on Jio, BSNL, and some Airtel prepaid plans), the SMS is intercepted by Truecaller's spam filter or the handset's built-in SMS blocking feature, or Nusuk's Saudi-routed SMS gateway is experiencing delivery delays to the Indian telecom network (common during peak Ramadan registration periods). The definitive fix is email OTP verification — select "Verify by Email" during registration and enter the 6-digit code from the [email protected] email within 5 minutes.

• 📵
  OTP SMS not received on Indian mobile number

  Cause 1: International SMS reception disabled on Indian SIM. Cause 2: Truecaller or spam filter blocking Saudi SMS sender ID. Cause 3: Nusuk gateway congestion during Ramadan.

  ✓ Fix: Click "Verify by Email" — receive OTP at registered Gmail/Outlook instead of mobile
• ❌
  Passport number mismatch error during visa submission

  Cause: The passport number entered during registration does not exactly match the scanned passport bio-page. Indian passports use format A1234567 — entering without the leading letter, with a space, or with a hyphen triggers the mismatch error.

  ✓ Fix: Update profile at "My Profile" → "Edit Passport Details" — re-enter number character by character from the MRZ line
• 🖼️
  Photo rejected by Nusuk's automated face detection system

  Cause 1: Background is off-white or cream instead of pure white (RGB 255,255,255). Cause 2: Glasses worn in photograph. Cause 3: Face occupies less than 70% of the frame. Cause 4: Photo file exceeds 2MB.

  ✓ Fix: Use a smartphone camera against a white wall in daylight — 3 seconds, no flash, remove glasses
• 🔒
  Nusuk account locked after 5 failed login attempts

  Cause: Password entered incorrectly 5 consecutive times. The system locks the account for 30 minutes automatically then unlocks. Attempting login during the lock period resets the 30-minute timer.

  ✓ Fix: Wait 30 minutes without attempting login, then use "Forgot Password" to reset via email
• 🏨
  "Hotel not found" error when uploading hotel confirmation

  Cause: The booked hotel is not registered in the Nusuk Ministry-approved accommodation directory — common with small locally-operated Makkah guesthouses and unlicensed apartments.

  ✓ Fix: Verify hotel at nusuk.sa → "Find Accommodation" before booking · Rebook with a listed property
• ⏰
  Rawdah permit slots show "fully booked" immediately after release

  Cause: Slots released at 10:30–12:30 AM IST sell out within 5–15 minutes. Indian pilgrims checking after midnight miss the release window.

  ✓ Fix: Enable Nusuk app push notifications for Rawdah releases · Alternatively try 3–7 days into stay when last-minute slots open due to cancellations
• 💳
  SAR 300 payment declined on Indian debit or credit card

  Cause 1: The Indian card's international transaction limit is too low (many bank cards have a default ₹5,000/day international limit). Cause 2: The card issuing bank has not approved Saudi Arabia as a permitted transaction country. Cause 3: 3D Secure OTP is not arriving.

  ✓ Fix: Contact bank to raise international limit · Use Niyo Global, Forex card, or HDFC Regalia · Try American Express if Visa/Mastercard fails
• 📱
  Saudi Visa Bio app fingerprint scan not accepting on smartphone

  Cause: Phones with optical in-display fingerprint sensors (common on OnePlus, Vivo, Oppo, Realme) cannot capture biometric data for the Saudi Visa Bio app — the app requires a capacitive fingerprint sensor or the physical fingerprint reader on iPhones.

  ✓ Fix: Borrow a Samsung Galaxy (side-mounted sensor) or iPhone · Alternatively visit the Saudi consulate in Mumbai, Delhi, or Chennai for in-person biometric enrollment

What is Nusuk Masar and how is it different from the current Nusuk platform?

Nusuk Masar (masar.nusuk.sa) was the Saudi Ministry's dedicated Madinah visit management system that operated from 2021 to early 2022, specifically handling Rawdah permit bookings and Masjid al-Nabawi access during the COVID-era capacity restriction period. The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah merged Nusuk Masar into the unified Nusuk platform in February 2022, decommissioning the separate Masar domain. Indian pilgrims who registered on masar.nusuk.sa before 2022 must create fresh accounts at nusuk.sa — old Masar credentials do not transfer to the current Nusuk system. All Rawdah bookings, Madinah services, and pilgrim management functions previously on Masar now operate exclusively through nusuk.sa and the Nusuk mobile app.

How do Indian Umrah tour operators use Nusuk to manage group pilgrim bookings?

Indian HGO-licensed operators register as "Service Providers" on Nusuk using their Ministry of Minority Affairs PTO licence number, creating a separate operator dashboard distinct from individual pilgrim accounts. The operator dashboard provides 5 exclusive bulk-management tools unavailable to individual pilgrims: group visa application (uploading a passenger manifest for up to 500 pilgrims in a single batch submission), group visa status monitoring (real-time approval/rejection tracker across the entire group), bulk e-Visa download (all group members' approved visa PDFs in a single ZIP file), hotel block booking for the entire group under a single reservation number, and financial reporting (invoice generation and SAR 300 fee reconciliation per pilgrim).

What happens to an Indian pilgrim's Nusuk visa if their HGO operator goes bankrupt?

The Umrah e-Visa is tied to the individual pilgrim's Nusuk account, not to the operator's account — an operator bankruptcy does not cancel an already-approved individual visa. Indian pilgrims whose operator becomes insolvent after visa approval retain their valid visa and must arrange alternative accommodation and flights independently. Visa applications pending at the time of operator insolvency lose their operator-side processing support; the pilgrim contacts the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah through the Nusuk support centre ([email protected]) to transfer the application to individual status and receive a refund if the visa has not been issued.

Which languages does Nusuk support and how do Indian pilgrims switch to Urdu or English?

Nusuk supports 7 languages — Arabic, English, Urdu, French, Indonesian, Turkish, and Persian. Indian pilgrims switch the platform language by clicking the globe icon (🌐) at the top-right corner of the nusuk.sa homepage before logging in, or navigating to "Settings" → "Language" after logging in. The Nusuk app changes language at "Profile" → "App Settings" → "Language." Urdu is the most complete non-Arabic translation — all 7 services are fully translated into Urdu. English lacks translation on 3 niche features — historical site descriptions in the Ziyarat section — which remain in Arabic only. Indian pilgrims who encounter Arabic-only screens use Google Translate's live camera translation (available on iOS and Android) to read the Arabic text without leaving the Nusuk app.

Frequently Asked Questions — Nusuk for Indian Pilgrims

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