From 1 Rabi al-Awwal (mid-August 2026), a mandatory Nusuk food voucher of about SAR 20 per pilgrim per day is automatically added to the Umrah visa cost for pilgrims from Pakistan, India, Egypt and Bangladesh. Each pilgrim gets a unique code linked to their visa, redeemable at around 10,000 restaurants in Makkah and Madinah registered on Nusuk. Hotel bookings, transport and meals are now integrated into one Nusuk booking reference (BRN), and single-entry Umrah visas must now be used within 30 days of issuance (reduced from 90).
What it means for you: this directly raises Umrah package prices (about SAR 280 for a 14-day trip, about SAR 1,120 for a family of four) — and it hits budget pilgrims hardest, since there is no opt-out.
Attribution: widely reported by Pakistani and UK travel press (The News, ProPakistani, TripNext); no Saudi official statement was surfaced, so confirm on Nusuk before booking. Sources: https://www.thenews.pk/print/1430085-riyadh-makes-food-vouchers-mandatory-for-umrah-pilgrims, https://propakistani.pk/2026/08/04/mandatory-food-vouchers-introduced-for-pakistani-umrah-pilgrims/, https://tripnext.co.uk/blogs/saudi-umrah-visa-2026-new-rules.html, https://www.dialoguepakistan.com/en/world/saudi-arabia-introduces-mandatory-food-vouchers-for-umrah-pilgrims. Related: Saudi visa ban fact-check.