Umrah Packing List for Pakistani Pilgrims: The Complete Checklist (2026)

A good Umrah packing list saves you from the two classic problems: a missing document at check-in, and a suitcase full of things you never use while you lack the one item you need in Makkah. This checklist is written for pilgrims flying from Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and other Pakistani airports, as of October 2026.

It covers documents, ihram for men, clothing for women, medicines, money, phone apps, Zamzam water and the items you should leave at home. Use the printable checklist near the end the night before you fly.

If you have not booked yet, read our Umrah visa and Nusuk guide first. The packing comes after the paperwork.

What documents should you pack for Umrah?

Documents are the only part of this list you cannot replace once you leave. Keep all of them in one zipped pouch inside your hand luggage, never in a checked suitcase.

• Passport, valid for at least 6 months from your travel date, with blank pages
• Umrah visa (printed copy, plus the PDF on your phone)
• CNIC, or a B-Form / CRC for children
• Vaccination certificate. Pakistan now checks a NADRA-integrated certificate at departure, which you download from NADRA's NIMS portal. Meningitis must be given at least 10 days before arrival, so see our Umrah vaccination requirements guide for timing
• Return air ticket and your hotel and transport confirmations from your operator
• Umrah permit from the Nusuk app, saved as a screenshot in case the signal is weak
• Two passport photos (useful if a document needs replacing)
• Photocopies of your passport and visa, kept separately from the originals, plus a scan emailed to yourself
• Emergency contacts: your operator's Saudi representative, your hotel, and a family member at home, written on paper as well as saved in your phone

Tip for families

Put each family member's documents in a separate labelled envelope. At immigration in Jeddah or Madinah you will hand over several passports at once, and labelled envelopes stop mix-ups.

What should men pack for ihram?

Ihram is the sacred state a pilgrim enters before Umrah. For men it also means a simple dress code: two plain, unstitched white sheets, one wrapped around the waist (izar) and one over the shoulders (rida).

• Two ihram sets, ideally in a soft, absorbent cotton or towel fabric
• Ihram belt with zipped pockets, to hold the waist sheet and keep your phone, cards and documents
• Open sandals or slippers. Many scholars say they should leave the ankle bones and the top of the foot uncovered; views on the exact cut differ, so ask your scholar if unsure
• Unscented soap, shampoo and deodorant, because perfume is not allowed once you are in ihram
• A small bag for your shoes inside the mosque

Pack one full ihram set in your hand luggage. If you are flying straight to Jeddah, you will need to be in ihram before the plane passes the miqat (the boundary where pilgrims must be in ihram), and your suitcase will be in the hold.

What should women pack for Umrah?

Women do not wear a special ihram garment. They perform Umrah in their normal clothes, as long as they are loose, modest and cover the body. Any plain colour is fine.

• Three or four loose outfits or abayas in breathable fabric
• Several hijabs, including at least one that stays secure while walking
• Comfortable closed shoes or supportive sandals for long walks on marble floors
• Unscented toiletries for the time in ihram
• A light shawl or cardigan for the strong air-conditioning in the mosques
• Sanitary products, plus any medicine your doctor has advised

While in ihram, women should not wear a face veil (niqab) or gloves. This is the widely agreed position. Many scholars allow a woman to let a scarf hang loosely over her face in front of men who are not related to her, so ask your scholar about your own practice.

Women travelling without a mahram (a close male relative) should also read the rules that apply to them, which we cover in a separate guide later this season.

What clothes and shoes do you need for Makkah and Madinah?

Makkah is warm for most of the year. In winter months (roughly November to February) days are milder and Madinah evenings can feel cool. Inside the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque, the air-conditioning is strong.

• Shalwar kameez or loose trousers and shirts for after Umrah, in cotton
• One warm layer (light jacket or sweater), especially for Madinah in winter
• Socks, useful on cold marble and for anyone with sensitive feet
• Comfortable walking shoes that slip on and off easily, because you will remove them at every mosque visit
• A cap or umbrella for shade outside (men should not cover the head while in ihram)
• Sleepwear and a prayer mat if you plan to pray in your room

Pack less than you think. Hotels near the Haram have laundry services, and you will mostly wear the same few comfortable outfits.

Which medicines and health items should you pack?

The Saudi Ministry of Health's Umrah health requirements advise pilgrims with chronic conditions to carry enough medicine for the whole trip, in its original packaging, with a note of their condition.

• Regular medicines for the full stay plus a few extra days, in original boxes
• Prescriptions and a doctor's letter listing the generic names and doses
• Basic kit: paracetamol, oral rehydration salts (ORS), plasters for blisters, antiseptic cream, throat lozenges, and anything for stomach upsets your doctor suggests
• Face masks, useful in dense crowds during flu season
• Petroleum jelly or anti-chafing cream, very helpful for men walking long distances in ihram
• Reading glasses or contact lens supplies

Controlled medicines need a permit

Some medicines (certain strong painkillers, sleeping tablets and psychiatric medicines) are controlled in Saudi Arabia. In February 2025 the Saudi Food and Drug Authority launched a traveller's permit for controlled drugs, applied for in advance through its Controlled Drugs System. If you take any such medicine, ask your doctor whether it is controlled and apply before you travel.

How much money should you carry, and what are the limits?

Two sets of rules apply.

• Leaving Pakistan: the State Bank of Pakistan's November 2022 limits allow adults to carry up to US$5,000 in foreign currency per visit (US$30,000 a year), and minors up to US$2,500 per visit.
• Arriving in Saudi Arabia: ZATCA, the Saudi customs authority, requires travellers to declare cash, gold and jewellery above a set value. Its page states SAR 60,000; some recent reports say the threshold has been lowered, so follow the lower figure if you carry anything close to it.

In practice most pilgrims carry far less: some riyals for the first day, plus a debit card for the rest. Tell your bank before you travel so your card is not blocked abroad.

Which phone apps and gadgets should you pack?

Your phone is now as important as your passport, because permits are shown and checked through apps.

• Nusuk app, logged in, with your Umrah permit and any Rawdah permit for Madinah. Our Nusuk guide explains how to book them
• Power bank, carried in hand luggage (airlines do not allow spare lithium batteries in checked bags)
• Charging cables and a plug adaptor. Saudi sockets commonly take the UK-style three-pin plug
• A Saudi SIM or eSIM plan, or roaming switched on, so you can use maps and messages
• Offline copies of your visa, permits, hotel address and tickets

What should you not pack for Umrah?

• Perfumed products you will need while in ihram (scented soap, wipes, deodorant)
• Controlled medicines without the SFDA permit
• Large amounts of cash you do not need
• Zamzam water in your suitcase on the way home. Airlines usually allow one sealed 5-litre bottle per passenger as a separate item; Arab News reported in 2014 that the 5-litre limit came from Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority. Check your airline's current rule
• Valuables such as expensive watches or jewellery
• Too many clothes. A half-empty suitcase leaves room for prayer mats, dates and gifts on the way back

Check your airline's baggage allowance on your ticket. It varies by airline and fare, and Umrah groups sometimes have different allowances from ordinary passengers.

Common packing mistakes to avoid

• Ihram packed in the checked suitcase. You may need it before the plane lands.
• Vaccination certificate left at home or only on a phone with a flat battery.
• New shoes. Blisters on the first day can make tawaf and sa'i painful. Wear your shoes in for a week before you fly.
• Scented toiletries used by mistake after entering ihram.
• No copy of prescriptions for regular medicines.
• Phone not set up for Nusuk before you fly, leaving you to register with weak hotel Wi-Fi.

Printable Umrah packing checklist

Category	Items	Where to pack
Documents	Passport, visa, CNIC/B-Form, NADRA vaccination certificate, tickets, hotel confirmation, photocopies	Hand luggage
Ihram (men)	2 ihram sets, belt, open sandals	One set in hand luggage
Clothing (women)	3–4 loose outfits or abayas, hijabs, comfortable shoes	Suitcase, one outfit in hand luggage
Toiletries	Unscented soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothbrush, small towel	Suitcase (liquids under 100 ml in hand luggage)
Health	Regular medicines, prescriptions, basic kit, masks	Hand luggage
Money	Some riyals, debit card, small purse	Hand luggage / belt
Phone	Nusuk app, power bank, cables, adaptor, SIM or eSIM	Hand luggage
Extras	Prayer mat, small shoe bag, light jacket, umbrella	Suitcase

How Sky Raah can help

Sky Raah Travels arranges Umrah packages from Lahore and gives every pilgrim a written pre-departure briefing covering documents, vaccinations and Nusuk permits. If you are unsure about any item on this list, contact our team and we will talk it through before you fly.

Official sources

• Nusuk: official pilgrim platform
• Saudi Ministry of Health: Health Requirements and Recommendations for Travelers to Saudi Arabia for Umrah – 1447H
• Saudi Food and Drug Authority: Traveler's Permit for Controlled Drugs and the Controlled Drugs System
• ZATCA: declaration of cash and valuables for travellers
• State Bank of Pakistan: foreign currency cash limits for travellers (November 2022)
• NADRA: NIMS vaccination certificate portal

Rules on currency, medicines and baggage change from time to time. Confirm the latest position with the official sources above and your airline before you travel.