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Updated January 2023
With the Hajj season being only four months away, pilgrims are busy preparing themselves for the first pilgrimage in two years. To be able to perform the Hajj, they are required to fulfil certain health-related requirements.
Keep reading to know what these requirements are and how you can become eligible for Hajj in 2023.
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Hajj 2023 vaccination requirements
COVID-19 vaccine
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced that all Hajj pilgrims must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with any one of the approved vaccines. Below is the list of the COVID-19 vaccines approved by Saudi Arabia:
- Pfizer/BioNTech. 2 doses
- Oxford/AstraZeneca: 2 doses
- Janssen. 2 doses
- Moderna. 2 doses
- Sinopharm. 2 doses
- Sinovac. 2 doses
- Covaxin. 2 doses
- Sputnik V. 2 doses
- Nuvaxovid. 2 doses
- Covovax. 2 doses
Source: Approved Vaccines (moh.gov.sa)
Yellow fever vaccine
According to the International Health Regulations 2005, pilgrims arriving from countries or areas at risk of yellow fever must present a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate showing that the person was vaccinated at least ten days and ten years before arrival border.
In the case of absence of such a certificate, the pilgrim will be placed under strict surveillance for six days from the date of vaccination or the last date of potential exposure to infection, whichever is earlier.
Here’s the list of the yellow fever risk countries:
Africa
- Angola
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Congo
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Equatorial Guinea
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Togo
- Visitors arriving for Umrah, Hajj, or seasonal work must submit a vaccination certificate from Uganda
Central and South America
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Venezuela
Meningococcal Meningitis vaccine
Hajj pilgrims need to submit a vaccination certificate against meningitis with the quadrivalent (ACYW135) vaccine issued no more than three years and no less than ten days before arrival in Saudi Arabia.
Polio vaccine
All pilgrims from polio-endemic countries and re-established transmission countries need proof of polio vaccination at least six weeks before departure to apply for an entry visa for Saudi Arabia. They must have received one dose of the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), regardless of their age and vaccination status.
In addition, pilgrims from such countries under the age of 15 will also receive one dose of OPV at border points on arrival in Saudi Arabia.
Below is the list of polio-endemic countries:
- Pakistan
- Nigeria
- Ethiopia
- Sudan
- Afghanistan
- Angola
- Cameroon
- Zambia
- Chad
- United Arab Emirates
- Republic of the Congo
- Eritrea
Flu shot
The Saudi Ministry of Health recommends that international pilgrims be vaccinated against seasonal influenza before arrival in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly those at increased risk of severe influenza diseases. This includes pregnant women, children under five years, the elderly, and individuals with underlying health conditions such as HIV/AIDS, asthma, and chronic heart or lung diseases.
Seasonal influenza vaccination is also recommended for local pilgrims, particularly those at risk described above, and all healthcare workers on the Hajj premises.
