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JED

King Abdulaziz International Airport

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Jeddah is the airport for Mecca, about 98 km away. This guide is for pilgrims arriving with a Hajj or Umrah caravan. The airport has several terminals: Terminal 1, Terminal 4 (open since 27 September 2026) and the Hajj and Umrah Terminal Complex. Check your terminal with your airline or caravan leader. The Haramain train to Mecca leaves from the main terminal building.

Airport staff speak English at every airport in these guides. Showing the help card, or the title of the step you are on, is enough; you do not need the local language.

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Both flights on ONE ticket

Your bags go through. You only change planes.

  1. Keep your papers in your hand and leave the plane with your group

    Take every bag you carried on board. Keep your passport, your visa paper and your Nusuk card or Umrah ID card, if you were given one, in your hand bag, not in a checked bag. Follow your caravan leader. If you lose the group, stop, stay where you are, and show your passport and visa paper to anyone in uniform.

  2. Walk with your group to passport control

    Jeddah is the end of your flight, so you do not look for TRANSFER signs. Walk with your group and the other passengers to passport control. If a wheelchair was booked for you, tell the cabin crew before you leave the plane and wait; Saudia says to show your boarding pass at the arrival airport so staff can bring the chair. If you are unsure where to go, show your passport to anyone in uniform.

  3. Passport control: have your passport and visa ready

    Show your passport and your Hajj or Umrah visa. For Hajj 2026, the Makkah Route service, which does passport checks at the home airport, covered ten countries and Iran was not one of them, so Iranian pilgrims are checked here in Jeddah. Umrah pilgrims are checked here too. Stay in the same queue as your group. If an officer asks something you do not understand, point to your caravan leader.

  4. Collect your bags from the belt

    Look at the screens for your flight number and the belt number. Bags can look alike, so read the name on each bag before you take it. Keep your bag tag receipt. If a bag is missing, tell your caravan leader and the airline staff before you leave the baggage hall.

  5. Stay with your group on the way to Mecca

    Your caravan leader tells you how the group goes on to Mecca and where to wait. Ask before you land, and do not go off on your own. The Haramain high-speed train is for people travelling without a group, or if your leader says so; its Airport station is part of the main terminal building and is open daily from 06:30 to 00:30. If your flight lands at another terminal, ask staff how to reach it. Makkah station is 3.5 km from the Grand Mosque, and the railway says shuttle buses run from there to the Haram.

  6. Ask your caravan leader about Ihram before you fly

    The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah says Jeddah airport is not a Miqat and not a place to enter Ihram. It says pilgrims who arrive by air must not pass the Miqat, or the point level with it, without being in Ihram. This guide cannot tell you what your caravan does, so ask your caravan leader before the flight when and where you will put on Ihram.

  7. Keep your Nusuk card or Umrah ID card with you

    The Ministry asks every pilgrim, especially older pilgrims, to carry the Nusuk card or Umrah ID card at all times, and to ask the hotel for a card with its name, address and phone number. If you get lost in Mecca, show these cards to anyone in uniform. The Ministry says care centres for lost people are spread around the Grand Mosque.

Flights on SEPARATE tickets

You collect your bags and check in again. Allow much more time.

  1. Check your visa before you buy a ticket

    The Saudi eVisa site lists 72 countries and Iran is not one of them; it says to contact the nearest Saudi embassy if your country is missing. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah says Umrah trips are booked through accredited providers linked to the Nusuk platform. Do not fly to Jeddah on your own ticket unless your visa is already issued. If you are unsure, ask Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization or a Saudi embassy before you pay.

  2. Be at the airport 3 hours before an international flight

    Saudia tells guests on international flights to be at the airport 3 hours before departure, and 2 hours before a flight inside Saudi Arabia. Queues can be long in the Hajj and Umrah seasons, so do not cut this short. If you are unsure of the time, ask your airline the day before.

  3. Check which terminal your airline uses before you leave for the airport

    Jeddah has several terminals: Terminal 1, Terminal 4, which opened on 27 September 2026 and has a group check-in area for pilgrims, and the Hajj and Umrah Terminal Complex. The North Terminal closed to passenger flights on 17 October 2026. Flights for Iranian pilgrims have been reported to use the Hajj and Umrah Terminal Complex. Ask your airline, agent or caravan leader which terminal is yours and write it on paper; at the airport, if you are unsure, show your ticket to anyone in uniform.

  4. Do not miss the closing times

    Saudia says its 'electronic gates' at Jeddah Terminal 1 close 50 minutes before an international flight and 45 minutes before a domestic flight, and departure gates close 20 minutes before the time on your ticket. If you booked a wheelchair, Saudia's counters for guests with disabilities are between gates A2 and B1, next to the Saudia sales office, and Saudia asks you to be at the boarding gate before boarding starts. If you are unsure where to go, go to your airline's counter as soon as you arrive.

  5. Flying on inside Saudi Arabia? Allow at least 3 hours

    Saudia says the minimum connection time for guests with Umrah visas who arrive on an international flight and connect to a flight inside Saudi Arabia is 3 hours. It also says visa-on-arrival processing happens at the first airport in the country, so plan for passport control in Jeddah. Ask your airline before you travel whether you must collect your bags and check them in again. If you are unsure, allow more than 3 hours.

  6. Going to Mecca by train on your own

    Buy your Haramain ticket on the website, in the HHR app, by phone on 920 004 433, or at the station ticket office or vending machines; the railway says the machines take credit cards. You may bring one bag up to 25 kg, no bigger than 65 by 55 by 35 cm, plus one hand bag. Ticket offices close 20 minutes before the train and boarding gates 10 minutes before. Carry your passport, because staff can ask to see it. No official page says an Iranian card works in the machines; if you are unsure, ask at the ticket office how you can pay.

  7. If you miss the flight

    Go to your airline's counter straight away and show your ticket. Saudia's call centre is 920022222 inside Saudi Arabia and it lists no number for Iran, so keep your travel agent's number on paper. On separate tickets, ask the second airline before you travel what happens if you miss its flight, because it may not have to rebook you for free.

Passport control

Everyone who flies to Jeddah for Mecca passes Saudi passport control here; there is no airside transit to Mecca. Iran is not on the Saudi eVisa list of 72 countries, and the eVisa site says to contact the nearest Saudi embassy if your country is missing, so the visa must be in place before you travel. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah says Umrah trips are booked through accredited providers and platforms linked to Nusuk. Saudia's own Umrah permit service is for flights inside Saudi Arabia only. For Hajj 2026 the Makkah Route scheme, which does passport checks at the home airport, covered ten countries and Iran was not one of them; the list is announced each season. Saudia says visa-on-arrival processing happens at the first airport in the country, but no official page we could read offers a visa on arrival to Iranian passports.

Getting around

Jeddah airport has more than one terminal, and the picture changed in autumn 2026. Jeddah Airports Company began opening Terminal 4 on 27 September 2026, with a group check-in area for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, and the last North Terminal flights moved to Terminal 4 and the Hajj and Umrah terminals from 17 October 2026. Terminal 1 is still in use, and flights for Iranian pilgrims have been reported to leave from the Hajj and Umrah Terminal Complex. The airport company tells passengers to check their terminal with their airline. Ask your airline, agent or caravan leader, and write the terminal on paper. The Haramain high-speed railway's Airport station is part of the main terminal building, with buses, shuttles and taxis next to it, and is open daily from 06:30 to 00:30. If you land at another terminal, ask staff how to reach it. Trains also stop at Al-Sulimaniyah in Jeddah, King Abdullah Economic City and Madinah, so check the station name on the screen before you board. Makkah station is in Ar Rusayfah, 3.5 km from the Grand Mosque, and the railway says shuttle buses run from the station to the Haram.

Wheelchair and special help here

Ask your airline when you book, or ask your caravan leader to arrange it. Saudia says wheelchair help is free but must be requested in advance so it is ready on arrival, and an electric wheelchair needs 48 hours' notice. Saudia has three kinds of help: WCHR if you can climb stairs but cannot walk far, WCHS if you cannot climb stairs, and WCHC if you cannot walk at all; a WCHC guest must travel with a companion. Saudia's unit for guests with disabilities is on 920022222 (phone and WhatsApp) and pwd@saudia.com, and medical cases go to meda@saudia.com. Saudia lists no call-centre number for Iran, so book the help through your agent or caravan. On the Haramain train, tick the special needs box when you book and you can request help at the end of the booking.

Saudia's counters for guests with disabilities at Jeddah are between airport gates A2 and B1 and between check-in counters A2 and B1, next to the Saudia sales office; the nearest car drop-off doors are gates A2 to B1. Saudia does not say which terminal these counters are in, so ask Saudia staff. Saudia says wheelchairs are available at every airport it flies to, and some airports use a mobile lift instead of a jet bridge. On arrival, show your boarding pass so staff can bring the chair. Haramain stations have wheelchairs to move inside the station and to the train, and each train has two wheelchair spaces in business class.

Saudia asks wheelchair guests to be at the airport 2 hours before an international flight, 3 hours if they need the mobile lift or medical oxygen, and to be at the boarding gate before boarding starts. Saudia's travel tips tell older guests and guests with disabilities to coordinate with Saudia staff at the airport and to ask about the dedicated counters. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah says to carry a detailed report of your illnesses, medicines and doses, and the Nusuk card or Umrah ID card at all times. The Nusuk Hajj health guide tells pilgrims who use a wheelchair to bring their own and, if they can, a friend or relative to help, and advises a wheelchair for Tawaf and for walking between Safa and Marwa.

Where to ask for help

Your caravan leader is your first help point; keep the leader's phone number on paper. Saudia: 920022222 inside Saudi Arabia (phone and WhatsApp), pwd@saudia.com for disability help, meda@saudia.com for medical cases; Saudia lists no number for Iran. Ministry of Hajj and Umrah care line: +966 92000 2814 from inside or outside the Kingdom, 1966 from inside, Care@haj.gov.sa. Haramain railway: 920 004 433. In Mecca, the Ministry says care centres for lost people are spread around the Grand Mosque. Write these numbers on paper and ask your caravan leader which ones work from your phone.

Rest and comfort

The airport's own pages on rest areas, prayer rooms, clinics and pharmacies could not be opened, so ask airport staff or your caravan leader where to sit and pray. The Haramain railway says its stations have prayer rooms, and each train has a cafeteria in the fifth coach with hot and cold drinks and snacks. The Nusuk Hajj site says the currency is the Saudi riyal, there are exchange offices at airports, Visa, Mastercard and American Express are widely accepted, and ATMs are easy to find. No official page says that Iranian bank cards work in Saudi Arabia, so carry cash or a card issued outside Iran. The railway does not allow cash, gold or jewellery worth more than 60,000 riyals on the train.

My help card

Print this page, fill in the lines by hand, and keep the card in your pocket.

I am traveling alone. I need help to find my connecting flight. Please show me the way, or call someone who can help me. Thank you.

You can type the details here before printing. They stay on this device only.

Partly checked against official pages.

What we could not confirm (19)
  • The airport operator's website (kaia.sa) blocks visitors from outside Saudi Arabia, so nothing here about the terminal layout, signs, baggage halls, information desks, prayer rooms, rest areas, clinics or pharmacies comes from the airport itself.
  • We could not confirm which terminal Iran Air, Mahan Air, flynas or charter flights for Iranian pilgrims use. Flights for Iranian pilgrims have been reported to use the Hajj and Umrah Terminal Complex, but we could not open Saudia Group’s own statement, and the Terminal 4 opening and North Terminal closing come from Jeddah Airports Company announcements, but we could not read the airport's own list of airlines by terminal.
  • We could not confirm how to get from Terminal 4 or the Hajj and Umrah Terminal Complex to the Haramain station in the main terminal building, or how long it takes.
  • We could not confirm where caravan leaders meet pilgrims after passport control, how group bags are handled, or where caravan buses wait, because the Iranian Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization website (haj.ir) could not be opened from outside Iran.
  • We could not confirm on an official page how Iranian passport holders get a Hajj or Umrah visa. The Saudi eVisa list leaves Iran out, and the Ministry says Umrah trips go through accredited providers linked to Nusuk, but no official page we could read says that Iranians must travel with caravans of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization. The Nusuk website returned an error on every attempt.
  • We could not confirm whether Umrah trips from Iran are running now. A press report in August 2026 said Iran had paused them for six months, and no official page we could read gives the current position.
  • We could not confirm whether Iranian passports can get a visa on arrival in Saudi Arabia; no official page we could read offers one.
  • We could not confirm when or where Iranian caravans put on Ihram (before landing, in Jeddah, or at a Miqat reached by road); the Ministry page only says Jeddah airport is not a Miqat.
  • We could not confirm whether e-gates at Jeddah passport control are open to Iranian passport holders, or what the immigration steps are (photo, fingerprints, questions). Saudia's 'electronic gates' closing times are for check-in, not passport control.
  • We could not confirm train times, the journey time from the airport to Makkah, or ticket prices: the Haramain timetable page returned no trains for our search, and prices appear only inside the booking engine.
  • We could not confirm official buses from the airport to Mecca (routes, fares, where they leave); the Nusuk Hajj site only says government buses shuttle pilgrims between Mecca, Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.
  • We could not confirm taxi ranks, taxi apps or fares from the airport to Mecca on an official page.
  • We could not confirm whether a wheelchair booked through an Iranian caravan on an Iran Air, Mahan Air or flynas flight is provided on arrival at Jeddah, or by which company; Saudia's rules apply to Saudia flights.
  • We could not confirm on an official page whether Iranian bank cards work in Saudi Arabia; the Nusuk Hajj page only lists Visa, Mastercard and American Express as widely accepted. Treat the card advice as plain caution.
  • We could not confirm the opening hours of Saudia's counters for guests with disabilities at Jeddah, or which terminal they are in.
  • We could not confirm the Makkah Route country list for future seasons. The ten countries come from an April 2026 Ministry of Interior announcement reported on pep.gov.sa, and the list may change each Hajj season.
  • We could not confirm which Saudia WhatsApp number works from abroad: the special care page gives 920022222 in most places and 00966540000005 in one place.
  • We could not confirm that the Saudi phone numbers in this guide, especially the 920 numbers, can be reached from an Iranian phone or SIM card.
  • We could not confirm whether Persian is spoken at any airport or airline desk.

Airports change signs, gates and rules. This guide is general help, not an official instruction. Always follow the staff and the screens, and check with your airline.

Last prepared 5 November 2026.

Where this comes from (20)