How to start an Umrah and Hajj travel agency in India

An Umrah and Hajj agency is a travel business built on trust. Families hand over lakhs of rupees, months in advance, for the most important journey of their lives. Agencies that last get the operations right — visas on time, the hotels they promised — and are easy to find and check before anyone pays.

How the Umrah business works

Your agency sells the pilgrim one package, but behind it sits a chain of partners. The most important link is in Saudi Arabia: only Umrah companies licensed by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah can bring pilgrims in. Agencies abroad work with them as external agents, and the visas, hotel bookings and transport are registered through the Ministry's Nusuk systems.

This gives you two ways to start:

• As a sub-agent of an established Indian agency. You sell their packages (or your own branding on their ground arrangements) and earn a margin. Little capital, little risk, and the best way to learn the trade. Most agencies begin here.
• As an external agent of a Saudi Umrah company. You sign a contract with a licensed Saudi operator, register as their agent, and handle visas, hotels and transport yourself. Better margins and control, but you need volume, working capital and experience. Nusuk Masar lists the qualified external agents.

Starting an agency, step by step

1. 1

   Learn the trade first

   Travel as a group leader for an established agency, or work in one for a season. You will learn how visas, hotel blocks, flights and the ground handling fit together — and what goes wrong — before it is your money.

2. 2

   Register the business

   Choose a structure — a proprietorship is simplest; an LLP or private limited company gives more credibility and protection. Get a PAN, a current account in the business's name, and the shop and establishment registration your state requires.

3. 3

   Register for GST

   Saudi and Indian partners, airlines and corporate customers will ask for your GSTIN. Tour operator services have their own GST rates and conditions, and overseas tour packages attract TCS when you collect payment — agree the rates and invoice format with a chartered accountant from day one.

4. 4

   Choose your supply partner

   Start as a sub-agent of an Indian wholesaler, or approach licensed Saudi Umrah companies about an external agent contract. Compare their hotel inventory, visa turnaround, payment terms and how they handle problems on the ground.

5. 5

   Sort out air tickets

   IATA accreditation needs financial guarantees, so most new agencies buy tickets through a consolidator or B2B portal, or block group seats with an airline for the season.

6. 6

   Build your first packages

   Start with two or three clear packages for the coming season: dates, named hotels with their Haram distance, room-wise prices, and exactly what is included. Price in every cost — visa, transport, Ziyarat, guide, a buffer for currency changes — before your margin.

7. 7

   Earn trust before you need it

   A registered office, written terms and refund policy, receipts for every payment, and a pre-departure training session for each group. Pilgrims compare agencies on how safe their money feels.

8. 8

   Get online and start marketing

   A website with your packages, a Google Business Profile with reviews, and an active WhatsApp. Then take your first group — and look after them so well that they bring the second one.

Registrations at a glance

Growing into Hajj: becoming a Haj Group Organiser

Umrah can be sold all year; Hajj seats from India are allotted by the government. Under the Haj Policy 2026, 70% of India's quota went to the Haj Committee of India and 30% to private Haj Group Organisers (HGOs). To become one, an agency applies on the Ministry of Minority Affairs' HGO portal when the policy for the year is announced.

• Applications are checked against eligibility criteria that include the agency's registration and documents, its financial standing and its experience of running Umrah and Hajj.
• Registered HGOs are grouped into categories, with established organisers and new ones placed in combined groups to share the quota.
• The criteria, fees and quotas change with every year's policy — read the current HGO policy on hajcommittee.gov.in and minorityaffairs.gov.in before you plan around it.

A realistic path is to build a clean record with Umrah groups over several seasons, keep every document in order, and apply for HGO registration once you meet the experience requirements.

Money: margins and cash flow

Margins on Umrah are modest and competition is close, so agencies make money on volume, repeat pilgrims and well-planned seasons. The real pressure is cash flow: hotels and flights for Ramadan and the holidays are paid for months ahead, while pilgrims pay in instalments. Collect a clear advance at booking, set dates for the balance, and never confirm a hotel or flight to a pilgrim that your partner hasn't confirmed to you.

Finding your first pilgrims

Your first groups will come from people who know you: family, your masjid, your neighbourhood and your old employer's pilgrims. What turns that into a business is being easy to find and check when they ask around. We cover the channels in detail in how to get more pilgrims for your Umrah agency.