Performing Umrah with children changes almost every part of the trip: how you book on Nusuk, what goes in the hand luggage, when you do tawaf, even which gate you use to enter the Haram. It is very doable if you sort the details a few weeks before you fly. Many families pick the winter months, when Makkah and Madinah cool down and school holidays line up.
The rules below come from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah FAQ, the Saudi Ministry of Health requirements document, and announcements from the General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque. Some of them change between seasons, so check the Nusuk app a few days before you travel.
Does a child need an Umrah permit?
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah FAQ states that the minimum age for issuing an Umrah visa or permit is five years. If your child is five or older, add them to your Nusuk account and book their permit for the same slot as yours so you are not split up at the checkpoints. Younger children go with their parents.
Entering Saudi Arabia is a separate matter from the Nusuk permit. A child is a traveller like any other and needs a valid passport plus a visa or residency in their own name. If you have not chosen a visa type yet, read our Umrah visa requirements guide.
Vaccinations before you travel
The Ministry of Health document for Umrah 1447H (2026) requires everyone coming from outside the Kingdom to perform Umrah to have a meningococcal vaccine covering serogroups ACYW. A conjugate vaccine counts if it was given within the last five years, and a polysaccharide vaccine within the last three. In both cases it must be at least ten days before arrival.
The document does not list an age exemption, so book a GP or paediatrician appointment about a month before you travel and ask which vaccine suits your child's age. It also requires a polio vaccine for anyone arriving from certain countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, regardless of age. Keep the certificates in your hand luggage with the passports.
When to go for Umrah with children
Heat wears children out in Makkah faster than anything else. Roughly November to February is the best window: the days are mild and the walk from the hotel to the Haram is manageable. Check the expected temperatures for your month in the weather planner.
With small children, avoid the busiest periods, such as the last ten nights of Ramadan. On those nights the crowds spill into the courtyards, and holding a child's hand for hours in that press is hard going.
Plan each day around your child's sleep rather than your own schedule. Many families skip Umrah on the night they arrive, sleep first, and go to the Haram in the morning when the children are fresh. Delaying tawaf by a few hours to rest does not break your ihram, but keep to its restrictions until you finish. Two short visits to the Haram a day usually work better than one long one, because most children manage an hour or two before they need the room.
Tawaf and sa'i with children
Strollers
Strollers are not allowed on the ground-floor mataf, and they can be turned away from the upper mataf floors and the mas'a when it is crowded, according to Saudi press reports quoting the mosque authorities. They are usually let in through the King Fahd expansion. That is why many parents carry a baby in a sling or carrier for tawaf and keep a light stroller for the walk between the hotel and the Haram.
Electric carts
The Authority runs electric carts for tawaf and sa'i, booked in advance through the Tanaqol app, and the service is free for children under six and for people with disabilities. If a grandparent is travelling with you, a cart helps the oldest and the youngest at once. Pick-up points and prices are in our Umrah for the elderly guide.
Choosing a floor and a time
Tawaf on the upper floors covers more distance, but it is usually less crowded, so a child can walk beside you without being pushed. Stay away from the times when the Haram is normally packed, such as before Friday prayer. If your child needs a rest during sa'i, sit down for a few minutes between laps.
Keeping your child from getting lost
The Authority hands out free ID wristbands for children at the main entrances of the Grand Mosque, including King Abdulaziz Gate and King Fahd Gate. The band carries the guardian's contact details, so if your child wanders off, staff can call you. Ask for one on your first visit and do not put it off.
- Put a note with your phone number and hotel name in your child's pocket in case the band comes off.
- Agree on a fixed meeting point with a clear gate number and repeat it before every visit.
- Dress them in a bright colour and take a photo each morning in that day's clothes. It is the quickest description you can give security.
- Teach them to stay where they are if they get lost and go to any guard or uniformed staff member.
In Madinah and the Rawdah
Madinah is calmer than Makkah, and the courtyards around the Prophet's Mosque give children room to move. Children are not allowed into the Rawdah, according to the Nusuk platform, to protect them from the crush of the crowd. They can enter the Prophet's Mosque itself, and there is a children's care centre in the northern courtyards where you can leave them during your slot. Alternatively, one parent stays with the children and visits the Rawdah at another time. Some websites say children aged five and over can book a Rawdah permit, but Nusuk is the reference, so check it before you travel. The details are in our Rawdah booking guide.
Hotels and getting around
With children, being close to the Haram matters more than any other hotel feature. You will go back to the room for naps, meals and changes of clothes more often than you expect, and a ten-minute walk feels very different from a thirty-minute one. Compare options in our Makkah hotels by budget guide.
On the Haramain train, children aged two to 12 need their own seat and ticket, while infants under two do not take a seat. The train allows one large suitcase per passenger, so a family with a lot of luggage may be better off in a car. The full comparison is in From Jeddah Airport to Makkah.
Your child's bag
- Light cotton clothes, with a full change in the hand luggage rather than the checked bag.
- Comfortable shoes your child has already worn in. New shoes cause blisters on day one.
- A water bottle to refill at the Zamzam coolers spread around the Haram.
- Their usual medicines, a fever reducer, rehydration sachets and wet wipes.
- Snacks for the courtyards and the hotel, since some foods are not allowed inside the Grand Mosque.
- Copies of passports and vaccination certificates, on your phone and on paper.
A child's Umrah: intention and ihram
A young child's Umrah is valid, and the parents share the reward. Sahih Muslim reports that a woman lifted up a boy to the Prophet ﷺ and asked whether he could perform Hajj, and he answered: "Yes, and you will have a reward." It does not replace the obligatory Umrah after puberty, though. A child old enough to understand makes the intention and does the rites with your help. For a younger child, the guardian makes the intention on their behalf and carries them during tawaf.
A child does not have to perform Umrah at all. If they are very young or tired, it is enough for them to come along and see the Kaaba. For the finer points of a child's ihram and its restrictions, ask a scholar you trust before you travel.
Before you book
Book Nusuk permits for everyone aged five and over, get the vaccine appointment a month ahead, choose a hotel near the Haram, and ask for the ID wristband on your first visit. Then use the trip planner to split your days between Makkah and Madinah at a pace that suits your children, with rest built into every day. A rested child makes the whole Umrah easier for everyone.