In short: Try to book before travel, but plan your Madinah days so a booking made after arrival still fits.
At a glance
- A Rawdah permit is free, short and separate for men and women. Most of the planning effort goes into timing: when you can book, when you must confirm and when you must arrive.
- Pilgrims often report that slots appear only after arrival in Saudi Arabia. Official sources describe an instant route for people near the mosque but do not state a location rule for standard booking. Plan for both outcomes.
- Build the Madinah days around a flexible window rather than a fixed hour. A booking made on the first evening is much easier to accept when the rest of the plan can move.
Compare the decision
| Factor | What to consider |
|---|---|
| Booking timing | Try the app before travel. If nothing shows, try again after landing and again in Madinah. Do not pay a third party who claims to secure a slot. |
| Mixed groups | Book men and women separately. Agree who holds each set of codes and where the group meets after both visits. |
| Data connection | Arrange a local SIM or eSIM for the first hours after landing, so you can check the app and receive waiting-list alerts. |
| Confirmation | The Ministry’s visitor guidance says to confirm attendance in the app at least two hours before the slot. Set a reminder and follow the deadline shown on your permit. |
| Fallback plan | Keep a flexible half-day in Madinah. If no permit comes through, the rest of the visit still goes ahead as planned. |
How the Nusuk permit works
You need a permit to pray in Al-Rawdah al-Sharifah. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah issues it free through the Nusuk app and website. You choose a date and time from the slots shown, and the permit carries a code that is scanned at entry.
Men and women have separate visiting windows, so one booking cannot cover a mixed family. The current Nusuk service lets an account holder select linked companions when issuing a permit. Plan the men’s and women’s visits separately and agree where the family will meet afterwards.
Saudi press reports describe a standard permit that is available once every 365 days, alongside an instant-access route for people near Al-Masjid an-Nabawi. These rules have changed several times and the instant route depends on availability. Read the current conditions in the app before relying on any interval.
If no slots appear before you travel
Many pilgrims report that they saw no available slots from home, then found plenty after they reached Saudi Arabia and turned on a local SIM or eSIM. Others report that they booked from abroad without difficulty. We have not found an official statement that explains this, so treat it as a common experience, not a rule.
Official announcements do describe an instant booking route that is available only near Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, and a waiting list that notifies you when a slot opens. That may explain part of what pilgrims see. Either way, an empty calendar before departure is not a reason to panic.
Keep at least one flexible half-day in Madinah. If you arrive without a booking, check the app after landing, check again in Madinah and join the waiting list if the app offers it.
Keep the permit valid on the day
The Ministry’s visitor guidance says to confirm attendance in the app at least two hours before the appointment. Set a reminder and follow the timing shown on your own permit, because the app’s instructions can change.
Official guidance asks visitors to arrive about 15 minutes before the appointment and to be inside the mosque earlier. The app has no option to change a time, so cancel and rebook instead. If you cannot attend, cancel early enough for the slot to return to the system.
Example: a couple with an empty calendar before departure
A couple check the Nusuk app a week before travel and see no Rawdah slots for their Madinah dates. They do not rebook flights or change hotels. They keep their Nusuk logins ready, buy an eSIM and leave the second afternoon in Madinah open.
After landing in Jeddah, they check the app again and both find slots in their own windows. The wife books the slot for women and the husband books the slot for men. They set reminders for the confirmation step and agree a meeting point outside the courtyard for afterwards.
Questions to ask before booking
- Does each traveller have a working Nusuk account before departure?
- Who holds the codes for the men and for the women in the group?
- Which Madinah half-day stays free for a late booking?
- How will you get mobile data in the first hours after landing?
- Where does the group meet after separate visits?
Common questions
Must I be in Saudi Arabia to book a Rawdah slot?
Official sources do not say so for the standard permit. Many pilgrims report that slots appeared only after arrival, but others booked from abroad. Try both, and do not panic if nothing shows at home.
How often can I visit the Rawdah?
Saudi press reports describe a standard permit once every 365 days and an instant-access route for people near the mosque. The rules change and instant access depends on availability, so check the current conditions in the Nusuk app.
Can I change the time of my booking?
The Ministry says there is no option to change a time. Cancel the booking in the app before the slot and book a new one.
Can a husband book for his wife?
Men and women have separate windows. The current Nusuk service allows linked companions to be selected, but the available options can depend on the account and app version. Check the booking screen for each traveller.
