This is the list to print, tick and slip into the travel folder. It is written for a trip from Morocco, often by someone packing for a parent as well as for themselves.
Most of a good Umrah bag is common sense: less than you think, light fabrics, shoes that already know your feet. A few points have a real rule behind them, and for those we give the source. For anything about what you may or may not do during ihram, ask an imam or scholar you trust: this page lists objects, not rulings.
What should I pack for Umrah?
Less than you think, and nothing you have never worn. You will walk a lot, sleep little, and spend hours in crowds and air-conditioned halls. Plan the suitcase around that.
Clothes (suitcase)
- Light, loose, breathable clothes for daytime, in plain colours
- One warmer layer for the plane, the hotel and air-conditioned spaces
- For women: loose, comfortable outfits and enough head coverings for the trip
- For men: the ihram set bought before leaving, plus a spare if you can (see the kit section below)
- Comfortable sleepwear
- A small laundry bag and a few clothes pegs: hotel laundry is not always quick
Feet
- Walking shoes or sandals that you have already worn for several days in Morocco
- A spare pair, in case one breaks or hurts
- Plasters for blisters, and a small foot cream
Toiletries and personal care
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and shampoo in travel sizes
- Sunscreen and lip balm
- A small towel that dries quickly
- Some pilgrims pack unscented toiletries for the days in ihram; what applies in ihram is a question for a trusted scholar
Day bag
- A light backpack or cross-body bag that closes well
- A refillable water bottle
- A compact umbrella or hat for the sun
- Your hotel's card, with its name and address in Arabic and English
The heat changes what is worth carrying. Our heat safety guide explains how to plan the day and what a small travel pharmacy should hold.
What goes in the carry-on?
Everything you cannot afford to lose, and everything you need for the first night if the suitcase is late. The paperwork behind the trip is set out in guideomra.ma's guide to Umrah documents for Moroccans.
- Passport, with a paper copy kept separately
- Vaccination certificate: the Saudi Ministry of Health asks that it clearly state the name, type and date of administration of the meningococcal vaccine1
- All prescription medicines, in their original boxes, with a few days' spare
- The prescription, or a short letter from your doctor if you have a condition
- Glasses, and a spare pair if you have one
- Phone, charger and a power bank
- A change of clothes and basic toiletries
- A light layer for the cold cabin
Liquids in the cabin are limited by airport security rules. Check the current limits with your airline or departure airport before you pack the cabin bag, rather than at the security queue.
If you are packing for a parent, put their medicines and documents in their own cabin bag, not in yours: you may be separated at a check or in the crowd. Our guide to Umrah with elderly parents has a separate list for them.
Which documents should I bring?
Keep them together in one waterproof folder, plus photos of each page on your phone.
- Passport: check its expiry date well before you book
- Umrah visa or its confirmation, printed and on your phone; according to Gulf News, citing the ministry, the visa fees include the pilgrims' insurance3
- Vaccination certificate, readable, with the meningococcal vaccine's name, type and date of administration1
- Insurance certificate, with the insurer's name and the number to call: according to Gulf News, citing the ministry, insurance is mandatory for Umrah pilgrims from abroad and is included in the visa fees3
- Flight tickets and the hotel booking, with addresses
- Emergency contacts: a relative in Morocco, the group guide if you travel in a group
Ask your doctor about the vaccines recommended on top: Saudi health authorities recommend seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccines for Umrah pilgrims, without making them mandatory1. The list of documents itself, and the rules behind each one, change from season to season; check them with your travel organiser or the official Saudi platforms before you leave.
How many kilos can I take?
The honest answer: what your ticket says. Allowances depend on the airline, the route and the fare, and we do not have a sourced table of current allowances by airline.
The only figure in our register is an announcement. The agreement signed in Rabat in 2023 by Morocco's Habous minister and the Saudi Hajj and Umrah minister provided for a baggage allowance raised from 46 to 69 kg per pilgrim (measures announced in October 2023, according to Le360 and Hespress)4. Whether and how it applies to your ticket today has not been verified.
So, before you pack:
Route
- Read the baggage line of your booking: checked bags, weight per bag, cabin bag size and weight.
- Ask the airline or the organiser in writing if the line is missing or unclear.
- Weigh the suitcase at home, and leave room for what you will bring back.
- Keep the heaviest items out of the cabin bag: you will carry it through long terminals.
Our page on Umrah flights from Morocco lists the carriers we can source, so you know whom to ask.
What can't go in checked bags on the way home?
Zamzam water. According to Gulf News, citing the ministry; check with your airline: Zamzam water must not be packed in checked luggage, and each departing pilgrim may carry only 1 bottle, bought at authorised sales points inside the terminal, on showing a valid Umrah visa or a Nusuk permit2.
In practice:
- Do not fill bottles at the hotel to pack in the suitcase.
- Buy the bottle at the airport, inside the terminal, and keep your Umrah documents and Nusuk details at hand.
- Ask your airline how it handles that bottle on board, because policies can differ.
The full explanation, with what we do not yet know, is in our page on Zamzam water on flights.
Leave space for the return. Prayer mats, dates, books and gifts add weight quickly, and excess baggage at the airport is the most common surprise of the trip home.
What can I buy there instead?
Many things are easier to buy in Makkah or Madinah than to carry from Morocco, and some are better bought at home.
Better bought in Morocco
- Medicines and prescription items: you know the brands and the doses
- Walking shoes: they need days of wear before the trip
- The ihram set for men, so you can try it on and practise putting it on calmly
Easy to find there
- Simple toiletries, extra towels, light clothing
- Prayer mats, dates and gifts for the return (count their weight)
- Zamzam water for the flight home, only through the sales points inside the airport terminal
A note on cash and cards: we do not yet have a sourced page on travel money from Morocco, so ask your bank how your card works in Saudi Arabia before you leave.
Is there a lighter version for a short trip?
Yes. For a week or less, one medium suitcase and one cabin bag per person are usually enough. The rule of thumb: if you are not sure you will use it, it stays in Morocco.
- Three or four changes of light clothes, washed on the way
- One pair of broken-in shoes, one pair of sandals
- The cabin-bag list above, unchanged
- No full-size bottles, no extra shoes, no “just in case” bag
If you are still choosing dates, our page on the best time for Umrah shows how the season, the crowds and the school breaks line up.
To confirm before you leave
- Current baggage allowances by airline and fare for Morocco–Saudi Arabia routes: not in our register. The 2023 announcement was not verified as applied (measures announced in October 2023, according to Le360 and Hespress)4.
- How each airline treats the Zamzam bottle in the cabin: ask your airline; our source covers the airport rule, according to Gulf News, citing the ministry; check with your airline2.
- The exact cabin liquid limits at Moroccan and Saudi airports: check with the airport or the airline.
- What the pilgrims' insurance covers for an existing illness: not stated in our source; ask the insurer in writing.
Next stop in the notebook: the rules for Zamzam water on the flight home.