Key takeaways
- Nusuk Masar is the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah platform for contracts between Saudi Umrah companies, external agents and service providers.
- For the 1448 AH season, external-agent qualification and final contracts opened on Masar Nusuk on 11 May 2026, with standardised electronic contracts verified by QR code.
- Since June 2025, Umrah visa issuance depends on a housing contract with a licensed provider documented on Nusuk Masar.
- The Ministry measures companies and agents on performance, and has suspended contracts and companies for weak service and accommodation breaches.
- Nusuk Masar records the Saudi side of the deal. The agency still needs its own system for pilgrims, sales, payments, sub-agents and accounts.
Short answer: Nusuk Masar is the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's business platform, announced in 2024. Saudi Umrah companies use it to contract with overseas agents and with hotels, transport and catering providers. As of October 2026, Umrah visas depend on housing contracts documented there. An agency's own back office remains the record for pilgrims, sales and money.
What is Nusuk Masar?
Nusuk Masar is the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's platform for the businesses behind each pilgrimage. The Ministry spells it both "Nusuk Masar" and "Masar Nusuk". Both names refer to the same platform at masar.nusuk.sa.
The Ministry launched Nusuk Masar in June 2024 (opens in new tab), in collaboration with the Pilgrim Experience Program. It said service providers would use it to build more flexible packages, receive requests and finalise contracts. In December 2024 it presented the platform (opens in new tab) as tools to manage bookings and issue permits.
Nusuk Masar is different from Nusuk Umrah. Nusuk Umrah is the consumer channel, which since August 2025 lets pilgrims abroad apply directly (opens in new tab). The Ministry says accredited agents in the pilgrim's country remain an alternative channel.
Who uses Nusuk Masar?
Three groups use it for Umrah, each with a different role. Pilgrims do not use it; they use the Nusuk app and Nusuk Umrah.
| User | Role on Nusuk Masar (from official sources) |
|---|---|
| Saudi Umrah companies | Contract with external agents; contract with domestic providers for accommodation, transport, catering and value-added services; design packages; keep departure data updated |
| External (overseas) agents | Are qualified and sign their season contract with a Saudi Umrah company electronically |
| Service providers | Licensed hotels and other providers document contracts with Umrah companies |
The Ministry's Umrah portal lists the approved Umrah companies and invites providers to join. See the Nusuk service-provider directory (opens in new tab).
How does the Nusuk Masar workflow run in a season?
The workflow runs in a fixed order, set by the Ministry's season calendar. For 1448 AH, the Ministry published these dates (opens in new tab) on 17 May 2026:
| Step | Date | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Agent qualification and contracts | 11 May 2026 | External-agent qualification and final contract documentation open on the electronic path |
| Provider contracting and package design | 12 May 2026 | Umrah companies contract with accommodation, transport, catering and enrichment providers |
| Visas and arrivals | 31 May 2026 | Umrah visa issuance and arrivals begin |
| Permits | 1 Jun 2026 | Entry to Makkah and Umrah permits through Nusuk begin |
| Last visa issuance | 9 Mar 2027 | Final day to issue Umrah visas |
| Last entry | 23 Mar 2027 | Final day for pilgrims to enter the Kingdom |
| Final departure | 7 Apr 2027 | All Umrah pilgrims must leave |
The agent contract step is fully digital. The Saudi Press Agency reported that it uses a standardised electronic contract with QR-code verification (opens in new tab) on the Nusuk platform.
How do contracts on Nusuk Masar connect to visas?
Housing comes first. Since 14 Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 (June 2025), the Ministry has made Umrah visa issuance contingent on a documented contract (opens in new tab) with licensed hospitality providers. Those housing contracts are documented on Nusuk Masar.
The multiple-entry visa follows the same logic. The Ministry says each visit needs a service package from an approved provider (opens in new tab) on Nusuk, plus an Umrah permit before arrival.
For agencies, this changes the order of work. Rooms must be contracted before a visa is possible, not after. We cover the downstream steps in our Umrah visa processing workflow.
How is agency performance checked?
The Ministry evaluates companies and agents against performance indicators and acts on the results. Recent official actions include:
- February 2026: contracts with 1,800 of about 5,800 foreign Umrah agencies were suspended (opens in new tab) for weak service. New visas stopped; existing visas were unaffected.
- March and April 2026: Umrah companies were suspended over accommodation breaches, with measures against their contracted external agents (opens in new tab).
- June 2026: 21 Umrah companies were suspended (opens in new tab) for low evaluation scores or violations.
Earlier in 2026, the Ministry also told Umrah companies to keep updating departure data on Nusuk Masar (opens in new tab). An external agent therefore depends on its Saudi partner's record, and the partner depends on the agent's data.
What should an agency keep in its own back office?
Everything Nusuk Masar does not hold about the agency's own business. Nusuk Masar records the Saudi contract chain. It is not the agency's sales ledger, pilgrim file or sub-agent system. A practical split looks like this:
| Record | Where it lives | Why the agency keeps its own copy |
|---|---|---|
| Season contract with the Saudi Umrah company | Nusuk Masar | Store the reference and terms against each departure |
| Housing and service contracts | Nusuk Masar (by the Saudi company) | Map each contracted room block to real pilgrims and dates |
| Pilgrim profiles, passports and mahram links | Agency system | One verified profile reused for every trip and visa |
| Sales, receipts and refunds | Agency system | Local law and tax rules apply to the agency's own sales |
| Sub-agent prices, credit and commissions | Agency system | Nusuk Masar has no view of an agency's resellers |
| Visa and permit status per pilgrim | Both | Track each step so delays show before departure |
| Departures and arrivals | Both | Give the Saudi partner accurate data, and audit it later |
The aim is one system of record on the agency side. Data then flows to the Saudi partner once and stays consistent. Our explainer on what an Umrah management system is covers that data model.
Does Nusuk Masar offer an API for agency software?
We found no public developer portal or API programme on the official pages we reviewed on 25 October 2026. Official descriptions refer only to integrated services and links with government systems. If a software vendor claims a Nusuk Masar connection, ask it to demonstrate the connection on your own account.
How UmrahCore fits around Nusuk Masar
UmrahCore is a multi-tenant back-office for Umrah and Hajj operators. It lists live connections to the Saudi Nusuk Masar platform, GDS flight systems and hotel supplier APIs among its built-in capabilities.
Around that connection, UmrahCore is the agency's system of record. Bookings are anchored on the hotel stay, matching the housing-first order. The 13-state visa ladder tracks every application, and bulk passport OCR builds pilgrim profiles from scans.
For networks, the Master → Reseller → Agent hierarchy keeps each sub-agent's prices and balances separate. Published pricing starts at US$51 a month.
Frequently asked questions
What is Nusuk Masar?
Nusuk Masar is the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah platform where Umrah companies, external agents and service providers contract with each other. It was launched in June 2024. The Ministry also calls it Masar Nusuk.
Is Nusuk Masar the same as the Nusuk app?
No. The Nusuk app and Nusuk Umrah serve pilgrims, for example issuing Umrah and Rawdah permits and direct bookings. Nusuk Masar is the business platform for Umrah companies, agents and service providers.
Can an overseas agency register on Nusuk Masar on its own?
External agents are qualified and contracted through a Saudi Umrah company. For 1448 AH, the qualification and final contracting service opened on Masar Nusuk on 11 May 2026. Your Saudi partner company is the starting point.
Why does Nusuk Masar affect Umrah visas?
Since June 2025, the Ministry has made Umrah visa issuance contingent on a documented housing contract with a licensed hospitality provider. Those contracts are documented on Nusuk Masar, so housing must be settled before the visa.
Does Nusuk Masar replace an agency back-office system?
No. It records the Saudi contract chain. An agency still needs its own system for pilgrim files, local sales and receipts, sub-agents, commissions and accounts, and to feed accurate data to its Saudi partner.
Is there an official Nusuk Masar API?
We found no public developer portal or API programme on official Ministry or Nusuk pages as of 25 October 2026. Ask any vendor claiming a connection to demonstrate it on your own account.
What happens if an agency performs poorly?
The Ministry can suspend contracts. In February 2026 it suspended contracts with 1,800 foreign Umrah agencies for weak service, stopping new visas while existing visas continued.
Sources
- Ministry of Hajj and Umrah — Nusuk Masar platform launched (June 2024) (opens in new tab)
- Ministry of Hajj and Umrah — Nusuk Masar at the Digital Government Forum (December 2024) (opens in new tab)
- Saudi Press Agency — Umrah visas contingent on documented housing contracts (June 2025) (opens in new tab)
- Saudi Press Agency — External agents qualification and final contracting via Masar Nusuk (11 May 2026) (opens in new tab)
- Saudi Press Agency — Umrah season calendar for 1448 AH (17 May 2026) (opens in new tab)
- Ministry of Hajj and Umrah — Nusuk Umrah service for pilgrims abroad (August 2025) (opens in new tab)
- Ministry of Hajj and Umrah — 17th regular meeting with Saudi Umrah companies (March 2026) (opens in new tab)
- Ministry of Hajj and Umrah — Contracts with 1,800 foreign agencies suspended (February 2026) (opens in new tab)
- Ministry of Hajj and Umrah — Three Umrah companies suspended over accommodation (April 2026) (opens in new tab)
- Saudi Press Agency — 21 Umrah companies suspended (June 2026) (opens in new tab)
- Saudi Press Agency — Multiple-entry Umrah visa valid for one year (20 July 2026) (opens in new tab)
- Nusuk Umrah — approved service providers (opens in new tab)
Regulations change between seasons. Always confirm current rules on the official Nusuk and Ministry of Hajj and Umrah channels before acting on them.