FCDO Saudi travel advice for Umrah changed this week, and the short answer for UK pilgrims is this: as of 15 October 2026, the GOV.UK page for Saudi Arabia (updated 13 October 2026) advises against all but essential travel to all airports in Saudi Arabia except Medina International Airport, and to the cities of Jeddah, Taif and Dammam, among other areas. Makkah and Madinah city are not named in that list. That does not make them risk-free, and the advice can change at any time, so read the live GOV.UK page before you book, again before you fly, and once more before you set off for the airport.
This guide is for British pilgrims and the relatives who help them plan: what the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) says, how it touches UK insurance, what to do during an alert, and how we approach transfers.
What does the FCDO Saudi travel advice for Umrah say right now?
The GOV.UK Saudi Arabia travel advice carries two levels of warning. The FCDO advises against all travel to within 10km of the border with Yemen. It also advises against all but essential travel to Aseer province, Riyadh province, Najran province, Jizan province, the cities of Taif, Jeddah and Dammam, and all airports within Saudi Arabia except for Medina International Airport.
The page explains the background in measured terms. It states that since 13 July the Houthis, which it describes as a military group in Yemen, “have launched missiles and drones targeting several locations in Saudi Arabia”. It adds that there is a heightened threat against airports, military bases, ports and energy infrastructure across the country, and it states that further attacks against airports, as well as disruption and cancellations, are very likely.
The King Khalid International Airport notice
The same page refers to “a serious incident at King Khalid International Airport on 10 October 2026 at approximately 3pm local time”. It advises British nationals to stay away from that airport, which serves Riyadh, until it is secure, and to follow advice from the Saudi authorities. If any connecting ticket routes through Riyadh, check it.
Which cities and airports are named, and which are not?
For a pilgrim, the practical reading of the list is fairly specific. Jeddah city is named. So is Taif, which some families add to a trip for a day out. King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah falls under the wording about all airports in the Kingdom except Medina International Airport, as do Taif and every other Saudi airport.
Makkah, Madinah city and AlUla do not appear in the GOV.UK list of named areas. Please read that carefully: the absence of a place from a list is not a statement that it is safe. The FCDO’s terrorism and regional sections apply across the country, and the page asks travellers to stay aware of their surroundings and follow local authorities wherever they are.
- Named for all travel: within 10km of the border with Yemen.
- Named for all but essential travel: Aseer, Riyadh, Najran and Jizan provinces; the cities of Taif, Jeddah and Dammam; all Saudi airports except Medina International Airport.
- Specific airport notice: stay away from King Khalid International Airport until it is secure.
- Not named in the list: Makkah, Madinah city, AlUla. Check the live page, because lists like this are revised.
Does the FCDO update change Umrah from the UK?
The FCDO does not tell anyone whether to perform Umrah, and neither do we. What it does is set out where it advises against travel, and that has knock-on effects for routing, insurance and the help the UK government can give. The spiritual decision about timing, and any question of whether a delay affects your intention or obligations, is one to take to a qualified scholar you trust rather than to a travel page.
The practical change is the airport picture. Many UK pilgrims land in Jeddah because it has the widest choice of flights. Under the current wording, that airport and the city around it are covered by the all but essential travel advice, while Medina International Airport, also known locally as Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport, is the one airport excluded from that warning.
Whether your own trip counts as essential is your judgement, made with your family and, ideally, after talking to your insurer. If you postpone, tell airlines, agents and transport providers early.
Jeddah or Madinah: how does the advice affect your arrival airport?
Before this update, the choice between landing in Jeddah and landing in Madinah usually came down to flight availability, price and whether you wanted to begin with Makkah or with Madinah. Our earlier guide comparing direct Madinah arrivals against flying via Jeddah first covers those everyday trade-offs. The October advice adds a new factor that sits on top of them.
If you are booking now, it is reasonable to ask your airline or agent whether a Madinah routing exists for your dates. Bear in mind three points. First, the Madinah airport FCDO exception covers the airport itself; it is not a wider statement about every road or onward journey. Second, Madinah-first plans change the order of your Umrah, so check the permit and miqat arrangements with your agent or the official Nusuk guidance. Third, the return flight matters as much as the outbound one, because a departure from Jeddah falls under the same airport wording.
If your tickets are already for Jeddah, do not assume you must change them, and do not assume you must not. Read the advice, speak to your insurer and airline, and decide. If you do switch airports, tell us straight away so the pickup can be rebooked for the right terminal and city.
Will UK travel insurance still cover an Umrah trip?
Umrah travel insurance and FCDO advice are closely linked, so settle this question first. The GOV.UK page states plainly: “Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).” The government’s separate guidance on foreign travel insurance adds that many policies will not cover travel to places where the FCDO advises against all travel or all but essential travel, and it asks travellers to check their policy wording and the country page before booking and buying cover.
For a UK pilgrim, that means a few specific questions for your insurer, ideally in writing:
- Does my policy remain valid if I land at, or depart from, an airport covered by the all but essential travel advice?
- Does it remain valid for nights spent in Makkah or Madinah, which are not named, if part of the trip touches a named area?
- If I choose not to travel because of the FCDO change, is there any cancellation cover, and from what date?
- Does the policy cover disruption, missed connections or extra accommodation if flights are cancelled while I am in the Kingdom?
Keep in mind that the insurance Saudi Arabia requires for some visa types is separate from a UK travel policy and may not cover the same things. Our article on booking travel insurance alongside your Umrah transport goes through how the two sit together. Only the insurer can say what your policy covers.
Before you fly: a calm preparation routine
Stay informed from the source
GOV.UK offers email notifications whenever the Saudi Arabia travel advice is updated, through a sign-up link on the country page. The FCDO also posts travel updates on its official social media accounts.
Check your flight, then check it again
The FCDO’s regional risks section asks travellers to check that their booking is confirmed and the status of their flight before travelling to the airport. Your airline is the authority on that. The official airport websites, kaia.sa for Jeddah and tibahairports.com for Madinah, publish arrivals and departures information, but your airline’s own app or contact centre should be your first call.
Keep documents and contacts offline
Write down, or print, the key numbers in the contacts section below, your hotel’s address, your agent’s details, your Nusuk permit information and our booking reference. Leave a copy with someone in the UK.
Share your plan
Send a family member your flight numbers, hotel names and the dates you expect to be in Makkah and Madinah. Agree a simple check-in habit, such as a short message each evening, so nobody at home has to guess.
What should you do if an alert or incident happens while you are in Saudi Arabia?
The GOV.UK regional risks section sets out what British nationals in the Kingdom should do in light of the regional tensions. It says Saudi Civil Defence may issue early warning alerts to people in affected areas. It does not name a particular app or platform, and we have not been able to verify one, so we will not describe one here.
If you are advised to take shelter, the page says to stay indoors or go to the nearest safe building or designated shelter. It notes that the greatest risk is from falling debris caused by interceptions, and that you are safest inside a secure structure. An interior stairwell or a room with few outside walls or windows may offer more protection.
Beyond that, these steps follow the official guidance and common sense:
- Do what Saudi authorities, police, security officers, hotel staff, Haram staff or airport staff tell you, straight away.
- Move indoors and away from windows if instructed.
- Do not film, photograph or share images of the incident. GOV.UK asks travellers to avoid capturing or sharing images of conflict-related incidents, and photographing government buildings or military installations is illegal in Saudi Arabia.
- Do not go towards a scene to look, and avoid crowds gathering there.
- Rely on official channels and the GOV.UK page, not on unverified messages and videos circulating on social media.
- Once it is safe, let your family know you are all right.
- If you need consular help, contact the FCDO (details below).
Agree a group meeting point in advance, carry your hotel card, and give older relatives a phone number written on paper.
A fictional scenario: a family from Leicester with Jeddah tickets
The following is a fictional example, not a real customer. A family of four from Leicester booked flights to Jeddah for late October, with a transfer to their Makkah hotel and, a week later, a Makkah to Madinah transfer and a flight home from Madinah.
When the update appeared, the father signed up for GOV.UK alerts and rang their insurer, who confirmed in an email what their policy would and would not cover. They then asked their travel agent about moving the outbound flight to Madinah. A seat was available, so the agent rebooked them, and the family reversed their plan: Madinah first, then Makkah, then a return flight from Madinah. They asked their agent to check what this meant for their Umrah permit and miqat.
On the transport side, they contacted us a fortnight before travel. We cancelled the Jeddah pickup within the free-cancellation window and rebooked a Madinah airport pickup and the intercity transfer for the new dates. Each decision was taken by the family, early, with the facts in front of them.
If your flight is delayed or cancelled
The FCDO page states that disruption and cancellations are very likely. If that happens to you, contact your airline first. It holds your booking, knows what alternatives exist and is the party responsible for rebooking or refunding the flight under its own terms and the rules that apply to it.
Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority, GACA, publishes passenger rights rules covering delays and cancellations. We could not reach its passenger rights page when we checked on 15 October 2026, so we are not summarising it here; search for GACA passenger rights on its official site, gaca.gov.sa, if your airline does not resolve your case.
For the transfer, send us your new flight number and time as soon as you have it. Our guides to flight delays and a pre-booked Umrah transfer and to booking a Madinah airport transfer around a delayed or rescheduled flight explain what information helps us most.
Nusuk permits when your dates move
An Umrah trip has another moving part that a UK holiday does not: your Umrah permit on Nusuk, which is tied to a time slot. If disruption pushes your arrival in Makkah past that slot, the Nusuk FAQ asks pilgrims to keep to the arrival time stated on the permit, and it says you can book again once the time on the permit has passed.
The FAQ does not set out a procedure for amending a permit date, so we will not invent one. If your plans change, check the Nusuk app, use the contact form on nusuk.sa, or ask your licensed agent. Do not try to enter areas that require a permit on an expired one.
Who should British pilgrims contact for help?
In Saudi Arabia, UK consular help is delivered by two posts: the embassy in Riyadh and the consulate-general in Jeddah. The FCDO’s getting help page for Saudi Arabia lists a 24-hour telephone number, 020 7008 5000, and links to an online contact form for the embassy. The British Consulate-General Jeddah page states that public access is by appointment only and directs emergencies and enquiries to its own online contact form.
The FCDO’s guidance on dealing with a crisis overseas states that you should not expect the UK government to evacuate you, and that you should have your own emergency plans. It also says support may be limited where it advises against travel.
If you or a relative hold another nationality
Many British Muslim families include relatives with other passports. Each government sets its own advice. When we checked on 15 October 2026, the US State Department advisory for Saudi Arabia was at Level 3, reconsider travel, issued 12 October 2026, with a do not travel warning for the Yemen border. Canada’s travel advice said to avoid non-essential travel, with regional advisories against all travel to King Khalid International Airport, the provinces of Asir, Jazan and Najran, and areas within 30 km of the Yemen border. Australia’s Smartraveller service advised Australians to reconsider their need to travel. Read the page for the passport you are travelling on.
Useful contacts for UK pilgrims in Saudi Arabia
These details were checked on official pages on 15 October 2026. Save them on your phone and on paper.
- Emergency services in Saudi Arabia: 911 for ambulance, fire and police, as listed on the GOV.UK getting help page.
- Without a Saudi SIM card: GOV.UK says to call 112 in an emergency.
- Civil Defence: GOV.UK gives 998 for Civil Defence in its flood guidance.
- FCDO, 24 hours: 020 7008 5000, listed on the GOV.UK getting help page for Saudi Arabia.
- British Embassy Riyadh and British Consulate-General Jeddah: contact through the online forms linked from their GOV.UK organisation pages; visits by appointment only.
- Travel advice alerts: the email sign-up link on the GOV.UK Saudi Arabia travel advice page.
- Nusuk: the contact form on nusuk.sa; the Nusuk FAQ page also lists a 24-hour tourist care line, 930, for tourism enquiries.
- Flight information: your airline first; then kaia.sa (Jeddah) or tibahairports.com (Madinah).
How we handle transfers while the advice is in force
We want to be straightforward about what we can and cannot promise. Our drivers follow the instructions of the Saudi authorities, police and airport staff at all times. If authorities close a road, restrict access to an airport or ask people to shelter, the driver will comply, and your journey may be delayed, re-routed or cancelled as a result. We cannot guarantee that any particular pickup will go ahead on a day of disruption, and we will not ask a driver to wait somewhere officials have told people to leave.
What we can do is keep talking to you. If your flight changes, your arrival airport changes or you decide not to travel, contact us as early as you can. Our usual terms apply: you can cancel free of charge with a full refund when you cancel at least 48 hours before pickup, and the deposit is retained for cancellations made inside 48 hours. If you are unsure whether a change counts as a cancellation or an amendment, ask us before you decide.
Checklist for UK pilgrims under the current advice
- Read the live GOV.UK Saudi Arabia page and note its updated date.
- Sign up for GOV.UK email alerts for Saudi Arabia.
- Ask your insurer, in writing, whether your trip is covered under the current advice.
- Check every flight leg, including connections and the return, against the named airports.
- Confirm your flight status before leaving for the airport.
- Check your Nusuk permit time and what happens if you arrive late.
- Write the contacts above on paper and share your itinerary with family.
- Agree a group meeting point and a daily check-in time.
- Tell us at once if your flight, airport or dates change.
The situation described on GOV.UK can move quickly, and none of us can know how it will develop. What you can control is how well informed and how well prepared you are. If you have an Umrah transfer booked with us and want to talk through a change of airport or dates, please contact Hajj & Umrah Taxi and we will go through the options with you.
Sources reviewed 15 October 2026: GOV.UK Saudi Arabia travel advice (summary, warnings and insurance, regional risks, safety and security, entry requirements, getting help); GOV.UK foreign travel insurance guidance; GOV.UK how to deal with a crisis overseas; GOV.UK British Embassy Riyadh and British Consulate-General Jeddah pages; US State Department Saudi Arabia travel advisory; Government of Canada travel advice for Saudi Arabia; Australian Government Smartraveller; Nusuk FAQ; King Abdulaziz International Airport and Tibah Airports websites. This page summarises official advice as published on that date for general information only, is not legal, insurance or religious advice, and may be overtaken by later updates. Photo: Josh Withers / Pexels.