Umrah Packages from New York

Assalamu Alaikum. An Umrah package from New York with Fond Travels brings together your flights from JFK or Newark (EWR) to Jeddah or Madinah, a hotel within walking distance of Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, a hotel near the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, every transfer in between including the high-speed train, and clear guidance on the Umrah visa and the Nusuk permit. A real travel expert builds the trip with you by phone. Call +1 (323) 800 6001 at any hour, tell us whether you are leaving from Queens, Brooklyn, Long Island, Westchester or across the river in New Jersey, and share your dates and who is traveling. We compare the nonstop from JFK with the one-stop options from both airports before anything is booked. This guide covers the New York side of the journey in detail: terminals, routings, the best order for the two holy cities, the 2026-2027 New York school calendar and the documents to have ready.

Flying to Jeddah or Madinah from New York

New York is the only city in this group of guides with a scheduled nonstop to Saudi Arabia. Nonstop service between JFK and Jeddah has operated for many years, taking roughly 12 hours eastbound and close to 13 hours on the way home. There has also been nonstop service from JFK to Riyadh, which links to Jeddah or Madinah with a short domestic flight on the same ticket. Days of operation change from season to season, so your travel expert confirms the current schedule for your dates before quoting anything.

One-stop routings give New Yorkers far more choice of departure times. From JFK and Newark, the usual connecting cities are Istanbul, Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with Cairo and Amman as regional alternatives and London, Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam on the European side. Counting the layover, a one-stop journey typically takes 15 to 20 hours. Many Gulf and Istanbul connections continue straight to Madinah, which the Jeddah nonstop cannot do, so a one-stop ticket is often the simplest way to start your trip in Madinah.

Check your terminal carefully. JFK is in the middle of a major rebuild, and many long-haul international carriers are moving into the New Terminal One as it opens in phases from 2026, so the terminal shown on an older confirmation may change. At Newark, most foreign carriers depart from Terminal B, while Terminal C serves the airport's main hub carrier, including its international flights. Your expert re-checks the terminal a day or two before departure and lists it on your final itinerary.

Landing in Jeddah first suits pilgrims who want to perform Umrah right away. King Abdulaziz International Airport is about an hour to 90 minutes by road from Makkah, and the high-speed railway has a station connected to the airport's Terminal 1. Because the miqat boundary is crossed in the air before you land, most travelers on a Jeddah routing change into ihram before boarding or during the flight. We mark on your itinerary when to be ready; your scholar or group leader is the right guide for the rites themselves.

Landing in Madinah first suits families with young children, seniors and first-time pilgrims. You recover from the seven- or eight-hour time difference near the Prophet's Mosque, enter ihram at the Madinah miqat when you set out for Makkah by train or car, and fly home from Jeddah without retracing your steps.

Route options from New York

What is included in an Umrah package from New York

Every package is built around your group, so the mix changes from one family to the next. A typical New York package we arrange by phone includes:

• Round-trip flights from JFK or Newark to Jeddah (JED) or Madinah (MED), compared for total journey time, layover length and seat choice, with the baggage allowance explained, including how each carrier handles Zamzam water on the way home.
• A hotel in Makkah chosen by walking distance: buildings on or beside the Haram courtyard (about two to five minutes on foot), hotels a 10 to 15 minute walk away, or quieter properties served by a shuttle.
• A hotel in Madinah in the central zone around Masjid an-Nabawi, most within a five to ten minute walk of the mosque gates.
• Transfers: airport pickup, the high-speed train between Makkah and Madinah (roughly two to two and a half hours) or a private car, and the ride back to the airport.
• Visa guidance for the e-visa, the Nusuk permit, passport validity and vaccination proof, step by step.
• Ziyarat tours of historic sites such as Mount Arafat, Mina and Jabal al-Nour near Makkah, and Quba Mosque and Mount Uhud in Madinah.
• Group or private travel: a scheduled departure with a group leader, or your own dates, hotels and private transfers.

When to travel from New York for Umrah

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah publishes each season's calendar. For the 1448 season it announced that Umrah visa issuance began on May 31, 2026, with the last issuance around March 9, 2027, the last entry around March 23, 2027 and the last departure around April 7, 2027. Umrah then pauses for the Hajj season, which is expected in mid-May 2027, and reopens afterwards. These dates follow the lunar calendar and can shift, so confirm before travel.

Ramadan 2027 is expected to run from approximately February 8 to March 9, 2027, subject to moon sighting. New York City public schools list their midwinter recess as February 15-19, 2027, which falls inside Ramadan, so that week will be one of the most requested of the year for tri-state families. For a Ramadan trip, start planning four to six months ahead; the JFK nonstop and hotels closest to the Haram go first.

The city's winter recess (December 24, 2026 to January 1, 2027) is the other big family window. By contrast, the 2027 spring recess (April 22-30) falls after the published last departure date for the season, so it is unlikely to work for Umrah that year. Summer is possible once Umrah reopens after Hajj, though Makkah is very hot. Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey and private school calendars differ, so give us your own school dates when you call.

Local planning notes for New York pilgrims

Most long-haul departures to the Middle East leave New York in the late afternoon or evening, right in rush hour. By road, allow extra time on the Van Wyck Expressway and Belt Parkway for JFK or the New Jersey Turnpike for Newark, especially on Friday afternoons and holiday eves. By rail, the AirTrain links JFK with Jamaica and Howard Beach stations, and Newark's AirTrain connects to the airport rail station.

Plan to reach the terminal at least three hours before an international departure, and closer to three and a half hours during Ramadan and the winter break, when check-in lines are long. Keep your passport, printed visa, Nusuk permit and vaccination record in one folder in your carry-on bag, along with your ihram clothing if you are flying straight to Jeddah.

From January to March, nor'easters can delay flights out of both airports. When the schedule allows, we choose connections with a comfortable layover so a late departure does not cost you a missed flight, and we explain your options for travel protection before you pay.

Traveling with elderly parents from Brooklyn or Staten Island? We request wheelchair assistance at JFK or Newark and at every connection, reserve aisle seats and keep the walk to the Haram short. Our senior travel reservation team handles these requests every day.

Community groups across the five boroughs, Long Island and northern New Jersey often travel together for Ramadan and the winter break. For ten or more travelers we hold seats as a block and assign one coordinator; read how group travel flights work for larger parties. First-time pilgrims can simply call and start with the basics, from passport check to packing list.

Umrah visa and documents for US passport holders

Entry rules are set by Saudi Arabia and change between seasons, so confirm before travel. In recent seasons:

• Visa. US citizens have been eligible for the Saudi tourist e-visa, and the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has confirmed that holders of all visa types may perform Umrah outside the Hajj period. An Umrah e-visa arranged through the Nusuk platform or a licensed provider is the other common route.
• Nusuk permit. Pilgrims have needed an Umrah permit booked in the Nusuk app before performing Umrah at Masjid al-Haram, whatever visa they hold.
• Passport. At least six months of validity from your date of entry. Renewals can take several weeks, so check every traveler's expiry date before you pick dates.
• Vaccination. Saudi Arabia has required proof of a quadrivalent (ACWY) meningococcal vaccine received at least 10 days before arrival and within the last three to five years, depending on vaccine type.
• Other passports. Green-card holders traveling on another nationality's passport may follow different rules; tell us each traveler's passport country.

How booking by phone works

1. Call +1 (323) 800 6001, day or night, and a travel expert answers.
2. Share the basics: JFK or Newark, dates or school break, travelers, hotel distance and any assistance needs.
3. We build and quote the package on the call: flights, hotels in both cities, transfers and visa steps.
4. We book it and email confirmations, plus a document checklist and your terminal details.

Why New York pilgrims book with a US agency

Fond Travels is an independent US travel agency in Woodbridge, Virginia, planning pilgrimages since 2017. We are not an airline, so we compare the JFK nonstop and every one-stop routing side by side and tell you honestly which fits your family. We are BBB accredited and rated 4.8 out of 5 by more than 2,500 Google reviewers, and our phones are answered 24/7 by people in the United States. See how booking flights by phone works with us.

More Umrah and Hajj planning guides

• Umrah packages from the USA, our national guide to every major departure airport.
• Umrah packages from Chicago (ORD) for Illinois and the Midwest.
• Umrah packages from Houston (IAH) for southeast Texas.
• Umrah packages from Dallas (DFW) for North Texas.
• Hajj packages from the USA for the 2027 pilgrimage season.
• Hajj and Umrah travel packages, the overview of both journeys.