Madinah for Travellers from Uzbekistan: Visa, Flights, Support
A practical hub for travellers from Uzbekistan who are going to Madinah: how Umrah is organised for citizens of Uzbekistan according to official statements, what we know and do not know about the visa and flights, health requirements, the time difference, money and phone use, embassy and consulate contacts, and links to our guides to Madinah, with the source and date of every claim.
Madinah is one of the cities most often visited by travellers from Uzbekistan, and rules for them have changed several times in the last two years: how Umrah is organised, the registration portal, the e-visa and the flights.
This page collects what official sources and news reports say and links to our guides to the city. It does not replace official advice. Where we could not confirm a current rule, we say so and point you to the place to check.
Before you go: a short checklist
Start with the route, not the hotel. For Umrah, citizens of Uzbekistan are directed by official statements to organised trips through the licensed route; for other trips, check which visa you can get. Then check flights, health requirements and your phone plan.
| Step | What to do | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Route and visa | Decide whether you travel for Umrah through the licensed route or on another visa; check your visa status | gov.uz, haj-umra.gov.uz, visa.visitsaudi.com |
| Registration | For Umrah, register on the unified Hajj and Umrah portal (mandatory since 1 May 2026) | haj-umra.gov.uz |
| Flights | Check the current schedule; flights changed during 2026 | Airline websites |
| Health | Check the Saudi Ministry of Health requirements for meningitis vaccination | moh.gov.sa |
| Money and phone | Plan riyals and a roaming or eSIM plan before departure | Your bank and operator |
| Support | Save the embassy and consulate contacts and the emergency numbers | Sections below |
Umrah and the visa: what official sources say
The government of Uzbekistan stated on 8 June 2026 that Umrah may be organised only by the Hajj and Umrah Centre under the Muslim Board and by licensed organisations, under Cabinet resolution No. 668 of 12 October 2024. Sending citizens to Saudi Arabia for Umrah without an Umrah visa is prohibited, and a fine of 200 basic calculation units applies to legal entities. We do not list the licensed organisations: check the current list with the Committee on Religious Affairs.
Registration on the unified Hajj and Umrah portal, haj-umra.gov.uz, is mandatory for Hajj since 1 February 2026 and for Umrah since 1 May 2026, and Kun.uz and Spot.uz report that without registration a trip cannot be arranged. The official statement says nothing about age limits or about independent travel, so ask the Committee on Religious Affairs if you plan anything other than an organised trip.
On the Saudi e-visa for citizens of Uzbekistan, news reports show a changing picture: Kun.uz reported that Uzbekistan was added to the e-visa programme in August 2023, that it was dropped from the list on 26 April 2025 without an official reason, and that access was restored on 19 June 2025. On 6 November 2026 Uzbekistan is named in the list of eligible countries on the official eVisa portal visa.visitsaudi.com (Asia section). Rules can change, so check your status there before you buy tickets.
For the Umrah visa and permits in general, see our guides Saudi Arabia visa: eVisa, Umrah visa, transit and Umrah in Ramadan 2027: visa, Nusuk permit and timing.
Flights to Madinah and Jeddah
The schedule has not been stable. We list what was reported, with dates, and we did not find current timetables or prices from reliable sources, so check the airlines directly.
Qanot Sharq started Tashkent–Madinah flights on 18 February 2024, three times a week with an A330, and also flew to Jeddah from several cities (Kun.uz, 2024). Uzbekistan Airways flies Tashkent–Jeddah. In April 2025 it stopped boarding passengers with an Umrah visa from 14 April ahead of the Hajj period, with a required return ticket and an exit deadline of 30 April (Kun.uz and Spot.uz, April 2025).
In March 2026, on the instruction of the aviation authorities, airlines temporarily stopped carrying Umrah visitors, repatriation flights ran from Jeddah to Tashkent from 2 March, and on 10 March the Ministry of Transport allowed flights to Saudi Arabia to resume (Zamin.uz and Spot.uz, March–April 2026). Centrum Air suspended its scheduled flights to Saudi Arabia on 3 March 2026, according to its own page. For the Hajj period of 2026, daily flights to Madinah from nine cities in Uzbekistan were reported, which are Hajj flights, not tourist flights.
| Airline | Route | What was reported | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qanot Sharq | Tashkent–Madinah | Started 18 February 2024, three times a week | Kun.uz, February 2024 |
| Uzbekistan Airways | Tashkent–Jeddah | Boarding of Umrah visa holders suspended from 14 April 2025 before Hajj | Kun.uz, April 2025 |
| Centrum Air | Saudi Arabia | Scheduled flights suspended on 3 March 2026 | Centrum Air, March 2026 |
| Several airlines | Uzbekistan–Saudi Arabia | Flights allowed to resume on 10 March 2026 | Spot.uz, April 2026 |
Health requirements
The Saudi Ministry of Health’s health regulations for Umrah in 1447 AH (2026) require the meningococcal ACYW vaccine for Umrah visitors, given no later than 10 days before arrival (conjugate vaccine valid for 5 years, polysaccharide for 3 years). The certificate must be shown at entry only by pilgrims from a list of African countries, and Uzbekistan was not in that list in the document we read. Spot.uz reported that medical examination and vaccination, including meningitis, were part of the Hajj procedure in 2026.
We found no official information on health insurance for citizens of Uzbekistan. Requirements change every season, so check the Ministry of Health regulations and the guidance of Uzbekistan’s health authorities before you travel. See also Health requirements for Umrah travel.
Time, money and phone
Uzbekistan is on UTC+5 and Saudi Arabia on UTC+3, so Saudi time is two hours behind. Saudi Arabia does not change its clocks in summer.
Money: the currency is the Saudi riyal (SAR). We found no official rate of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan for the riyal, and aggregator figures change, so check the current rate on cbu.uz and compare it with your bank’s rate before you exchange.
Phone: in January 2024 Beeline Uzbekistan offered pilgrims discounted roaming of up to 80 % for prepaid users, valid until 31 December 2024; we found no current tariff for 2026. Mobiuz connects roaming through its app or website and offers eSIM, but we found no Saudi tariffs. Ask your operator for current roaming prices, or use a local SIM or eSIM at the airport; see Madinah airport: getting to the city, money, SIM.
Embassy, consulate and emergency numbers
The contacts below are from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan’s page on diplomatic missions, checked on 29 October 2026; check mfa.uz before you rely on them. We found no permanent mission in Madinah; in the Hajj period, temporary groups of diplomats have met pilgrims at the airport.
The emergency numbers listed by the operator stc are 112 for general emergencies, 999 for the police, 997 for an ambulance and 998 for civil defence. Our guide Emergency numbers in Saudi Arabia has more.
| Mission | Address | Phone and email |
|---|---|---|
| Embassy in Riyadh | P.O. Box 94008, Riyadh 11693, Sulaimania district, Talha bin Al Barra Street, villa 17 | +966-1-2635223, +966-1-4564096; [email protected] |
| Consulate General in Jeddah | Al-Naeem/4 District, Abu Al-Hajjaj Al-Mosali Street, villa 7, P.O. Box 50036, Jeddah 23621 | +966-12-607-72-50, +966-56-661-94-96; [email protected] |
Food and the Uzbek-speaking environment in Madinah
We found no reliable outside sources on Uzbek-speaking guides or shops in Madinah, so we do not name any. Organised Umrah groups travel with a group leader under a contract with the Muslim Board, according to news reports.
For food, see our guides Best Uzbek restaurants in Madinah: plov, manti, samsa, Zohid Kebab: plov, kebabs and tea by the Prophet’s Mosque and Where to eat in Madinah: Uzbek food, grills, garden dining. We could not confirm the current ownership and opening times of these venues from outside sources, so check on the day.
We found no reliable information about carrying food from Uzbekistan or about luggage limits of Uzbek airlines, so ask your airline. Zamzam water cannot be carried in checked baggage when you leave Saudi Arabia, according to a Saudi aviation circular of 2022, and is allowed in hand luggage.
Plan your days in Madinah
Our guides cover the city in detail: what to visit in 1, 2 and 3 days, a one-day route from Quba to Uhud, hotels near the Prophet’s Mosque compared, getting around Makkah and Madinah, what to buy: dates and souvenirs and the best time to visit.
If you go during Ramadan, read Ramadan 2027 in Madinah: Rawdah, hotels, evenings. Book the Rawdah slot through Nusuk as soon as your dates are fixed.
How we chose
We built this page from the government of Uzbekistan’s statement of 8 June 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Kun.uz, Spot.uz, Zamin.uz and Daryo, the Saudi Ministry of Health regulations, airline pages and our own guides, and we rewrote everything in our own words. The Saudi eVisa country list was checked on the official portal on 6 November 2026. Some other official pages could not be opened, so we say where a rule could not be confirmed. We did not list licensed organisations, prices or schedules that we could not verify. ZiyaraGo is an independent information project and is not an Umrah or Hajj operator.
Tips
- For Umrah, use the licensed route and register on haj-umra.gov.uz; ask the Committee on Religious Affairs about anything outside it.
- Check your Saudi e-visa status on visa.visitsaudi.com before you buy tickets; the position for Uzbekistan changed in 2025.
- Check the airline’s current schedule: flights to Saudi Arabia were suspended and resumed in March 2026.
- Check the Ministry of Health vaccination requirements, including meningitis, well before travel.
- Save the embassy and consulate contacts and the emergency numbers on your phone before you leave.
- Plan roaming or a local SIM or eSIM and the exchange rate before you depart.
Questions and answers
Can citizens of Uzbekistan go to Madinah without a visa?
No. A Saudi visa is required. Reports show that the e-visa for citizens of Uzbekistan was added in August 2023, dropped on 26 April 2025 and restored on 19 June 2025. On 6 November 2026 Uzbekistan is named in the eVisa country list on visa.visitsaudi.com; check your current status there.
How is Umrah organised for citizens of Uzbekistan?
According to the government’s statement of 8 June 2026, only the Hajj and Umrah Centre under the Muslim Board and licensed organisations may organise it, and registration on haj-umra.gov.uz is mandatory for Umrah from 1 May 2026.
Which airlines fly from Uzbekistan to Madinah?
Qanot Sharq started Tashkent–Madinah flights in February 2024, according to Kun.uz. Schedules changed in 2026, so check the airline for the current timetable.
Is a meningitis vaccine needed?
The Saudi Ministry of Health’s 2026 regulations require the meningococcal ACYW vaccine for Umrah visitors, at least 10 days before arrival. The certificate is mandatory at entry only for pilgrims from a list of African countries, which did not include Uzbekistan in the document we read; check the current text.
What is the time difference between Uzbekistan and Madinah?
Two hours: Uzbekistan is on UTC+5 and Saudi Arabia on UTC+3.
Where is the embassy of Uzbekistan in Saudi Arabia?
The embassy is in Riyadh and the Consulate General is in Jeddah; addresses and phone numbers are in the table above, taken from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan on 29 October 2026.
Where can I eat Uzbek food in Madinah?
See our guides to Uzbek restaurants and to Zohid Kebab. We could not confirm opening times from outside sources, so check on the day.
Prepared with the help of AI and checked by the ZiyaraGo team. Editorial policy