KARACHI: Pakistan will require Hajj and Umrah travelers to carry proof of mandated vaccinations integrated with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) system from Tuesday, Sept. 15, as authorities move to digitize health documentation for pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia, according to an official directive this week.

The measure comes as Pakistan prepares for Hajj 2027 under its first four-year Hajj policy, approved in July to improve long-term planning and align pilgrimage arrangements with Saudi regulations. The Kingdom requires Hajj pilgrims to meet specific vaccination requirements, including against meningococcal disease, while travelers from Pakistan must also meet polio vaccination requirements.

NADRA is Pakistan’s national identity and civil registration authority, which maintains the country’s computerized identity database and provides digital verification services.

“No passenger will be allowed to travel without a NADRA integrated vaccination proof after 7 days of these directions i.e. after 14.9.2026,” the Airport Health Department, part of Border Health Services-Pakistan under the federal health ministry, said in a Sept. 7 letter seen by Arab News.

“No other vaccination card will be acceptable after 14-09-2026,” it added.

The directive covers vaccination documentation for polio, meningitis, yellow fever and influenza and asks airlines to inform travel agents that only NADRA-integrated proof will be accepted for travel.

It said the Federal Government Civil Dispensary was the authorized vaccination center for international travelers proceeding for Hajj or Umrah and asked pilgrims to obtain digitized vaccination cards from an authorized center before departure.

Vaccination and online registration facilities would also be made available at international departure areas in the coming days, according to the letter. Travelers who need to be vaccinated at the airport should arrive six hours before their flight, it said.

Pakistan already uses NADRA’s digital system to issue polio vaccination certificates for international travel. It remains one of the countries where wild poliovirus continues to circulate, making vaccination documentation particularly important for Pakistani pilgrims traveling to the Kingdom.