This page is about one thing: bringing Zamzam water home on the plane. It is written for pilgrims flying back to Morocco, for Moroccans abroad flying back to Europe or elsewhere, and for the son or daughter who will be carrying the bottles for their parents.
It does not discuss the religious meaning or the uses of Zamzam water. For those questions, ask an imam or a scholar you trust.
A word on where the rules come from. The rules below were reported by the press, quoting the Saudi authorities; we have not read an official text ourselves. That is why every rule here comes with the same advice: check with your airline.
Can I put Zamzam water in checked luggage?
No. This is the clearest part of the rule: Zamzam water must not be packed in checked luggage, according to Gulf News, citing the ministry; check with your airline1.
In practice, that rules out the shortcuts families sometimes suggest to each other:
- refilling plastic water bottles at the hotel and wrapping them in clothes;
- putting the bottle bought at the terminal into the suitcase just before check-in;
- asking a relative with a lighter bag to pack your bottle in theirs.
Sort this out at the hotel, while you pack, rather than at the check-in desk with a tired parent and a queue behind you. A suitcase opened at the counter costs time you will not have on the return day.
How many bottles can I take, and where do I buy them?
One per departing pilgrim, bought at the terminal. 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 permit, according to Gulf News, citing the ministry; check with your airline1.
Our sources only describe bottles bought at the terminal, so plan on buying there and ask your airline about any other bottle. Three habits make that easy:
- Keep the papers to hand. The purchase depends on your travel documents, so keep each traveller's passport and Nusuk details in a pouch you can open quickly, not at the bottom of a bag.
- Arrive early. Finding the sales point, queuing and walking back to check-in takes time, more so with children or an older parent.
- Count each traveller separately. The rule speaks of each pilgrim. For a family, that means one purchase per person; our sources say nothing about young children, so ask the airline.
Which airports sell the bottles? In 2019, the standard bottles were sold at Jeddah and Madinah airports, according to Arab News (2019)2. These are also the two cities that flights from Morocco serve: Royal Air Maroc, for example, sells Casablanca-Jeddah and Casablanca-Madinah flights, according to the Royal Air Maroc website3. If you fly home from another airport, or with a stopover in a third country, our sources do not cover your case. The airlines and routes are set out in our guide to Umrah flights from Morocco.
What size is the Zamzam bottle?
The size sold at the terminal. In 2019, the National Water Company, which runs the King Abdullah Zamzam project, standardised the bottles at 5 litres instead of 10 litres, according to Arab News (2019)2.
That date explains a common family memory. If a grandparent remembers bringing home a large container, that memory may well be from before the change. Do not plan around it, and do not plan around a size you have not seen on the shelf yourself: our source is that older report, and we have found nothing more recent on the formats sold today.
A full bottle is heavy at the end of an arm after hours in a terminal. If you are travelling with older parents:
- take a luggage trolley as soon as you have bought the bottles;
- let the fittest person in the group carry the bottles on foot;
- if you have booked airport assistance or a wheelchair, ask the airline how the assisted traveller's bottle will travel.
The rest of a trip with a frail parent, from the outbound flight to the hotel, is covered in our step-by-step plan for Umrah with elderly parents.
What about my airline?
Your airline has the last word. The Saudi rule says what a pilgrim may carry out of the terminal; the airline decides how the bottle travels on its plane and applies that at the counter. Airlines do not all work the same way, and the same airline can change its practice from one season to the next.
We have found no source on how Royal Air Maroc, flynas or Saudia handle Zamzam water today. Their customer service, or the organiser of your trip, can answer. Ask before you leave Morocco, and write down the answer with the name of the person and the date:
Route
- How do you carry Zamzam water bought at the terminal: checked separately, in the cabin, or another way?
- Does the bottle count towards my baggage allowance, or is it separate?
- Is there a fee?
- Is it the same for my children?
- What happens if my return flight has a stopover?
- Do I need to tell you anything extra if one of us travels with assistance?
The allowance on your ticket matters for the rest of the return bag too, gifts included. An agreement signed in Rabat provided for a baggage allowance raised from 46 to 69 kg per pilgrim, and its implementation was not verified (measures announced in October 2023, according to Le360 and Hespress)4. Only the figure printed on your own ticket counts.
How do I plan the return day?
Route
- Before you leave Morocco: put your questions to the airline and keep the answers in writing.
- When you pack for the outbound flight: leave space and weight free for the way back.
- The evening before the return: close the suitcase with no Zamzam water inside, and put everyone's documents in one pouch for the cabin.
- At the airport: arrive early, find the authorised sales point, and buy one bottle per pilgrim.
- At the counter: follow the airline's instruction, even if it differs from what you read here.
What goes in the suitcase itself, for the way out and the way back, is in our Umrah packing list.
To confirm before you leave
- Each airline's practice. How Royal Air Maroc, flynas or Saudia carry the bottle, whether it counts towards the allowance and at what cost: no verified source.
- The official text. We rely on press reports that quote the Saudi ministry, not on a text we have read.
- Today's bottle sizes. Our source on the standard bottle dates from 2019, according to Arab News (2019)2.
- Young children. We do not know whether each child is entitled to a bottle of their own.
- Stopovers and other departure airports. Our sources say nothing about connecting flights or airports other than Jeddah and Madinah.
- The price of a bottle. We do not publish prices without a source.
Next stop in the notebook: pack the return bag, and if you are already thinking about the next trip, choose the airline and the arrival city.