Hajj & Umrah Health Requirements

Australians heading to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj & Umrah pilgrimages need to ensure that they are vaccinated prior to departure, to meet the requirements of the Saudi government. These requirements can change from year to year and are aimed at disease prevention, not just in Saudi Arabia but also within countries pilgrims will be returning to. With massive numbers of people coming together from all over the world, the potential for disease spread is great and all travellers are advised to ensure their routine vaccinations are up to date and should consider Hepatitis A and B and typhoid vaccines. There are also Saudi vaccine requirements in order to attend.

In 2019 the requirements for those travelling directly from Australia to Saudi Arabia are:

• Proof of vaccination against Meningococcal ACWY within the last 3-5 years (depending on which type of vaccine was last given), and no less than 10 days prior to arrival

Of note:

• Yellow Fever vaccination – this is not required if travelling directly from Australia to Saudi Arabia
• Yellow Fever vaccination – an international certificate is required if arriving from one of the  Yellow Fever risk countries in Africa or South America (discuss with your doctor if you have a complex itinerary and are not taking a direct flight)
• Polio vaccination – proof of vaccination required if coming from a country where polio remains a risk (Australia is not one of them)
• Influenza vaccination is recommended by the Saudi Health authorities for everyone