How to Book the Rawdah Permit on Nusuk

Last updated: June 2026 | We booked our own Rawdah permit in February 2023

If you are reading this, you already know the Rawdah matters. It is the space between the Prophet’s ﷺ tomb and his pulpit inside Masjid an-Nabawi — described by the Prophet ﷺ himself as “a garden from the gardens of Paradise.” You cannot simply walk in anymore. You need a Rawdah permit, booked through the Nusuk app, and the booking window is smaller than most pilgrims expect.

This guide is focused on one thing only: getting your Rawdah permit booked correctly, the first time.

What Exactly Is the Rawdah Permit?

The Rawdah permit (sometimes called Riyad ul-Jannah permit) is a timed entry slot to the Rawdah area inside Masjid an-Nabawi. It is separate from your Umrah permit and separate from your general visa. You can have a perfectly valid Umrah visa and still be turned away from the Rawdah without this specific booking.

Men and women have separate visiting time slots — they do not visit together, and the schedule for each gender is different and changes by day.

Step 1 — Make Sure Your Visa Is Already Approved

You cannot book a Rawdah permit until your Umrah visa or tourist e-visa has been fully approved and is showing as active inside the Nusuk app. If your visa is still “pending,” the Rawdah booking screen will either show no slots or give you an error. This catches a lot of first-time users.

Step 2 — Open Nusuk and Go to “Masjid an-Nabawi” Services

Open the Nusuk app and log in with your visa-linked profile
From the home screen, tap “Masjid an-Nabawi” (not the general “Umrah” services tab — this is a common mix-up)
Select “Rawdah” or “Riyad ul-Jannah” from the list of services

Step 3 — Choose Your Gender-Specific Time Slot

The calendar will show available days with colour-coded slots:

Green — Low crowd, easiest to get
Yellow — Moderate crowd
Red / Greyed out — Fully booked or unavailable

Slots are typically released in rolling windows — usually a few days to a week in advance, not months ahead. Do not panic if you can’t book something 3 weeks out; that is normal. Check back closer to your actual travel dates.

Step 4 — Select the Number of Pilgrims and Confirm

You can usually book for your family group together if everyone’s visa is linked under the same Nusuk profile. Confirm the slot, and the app will generate a QR code permit.

Step 5 — Screenshot Your QR Code Immediately

This is the single most important practical tip in this entire guide.

Do not rely on opening the live app at the Rawdah entrance. The mobile network around Masjid an-Nabawi is heavily congested during peak hours because of the sheer number of pilgrims on the same network trying to load the same app. Screenshot your QR code permit the moment it is issued and save it to your phone’s photo gallery. Security staff can scan it from your gallery just as easily as from the live app.

What to Do If the App Shows “No Slots Available”

This is the single most common frustration pilgrims report, and there are three real reasons it happens:

Reason 1 — You are looking too far in advance. As mentioned above, slots release on a rolling basis. Check again 2-3 days closer to your visit.

Reason 2 — Your visa status hasn’t synced yet. Log out of Nusuk completely, wait 30 minutes, and log back in. The visa-to-Nusuk sync occasionally lags by a few hours after approval.

Reason 3 — Genuinely high demand for that exact day. Fridays and the days immediately around Jumu’ah prayer are the most contested. If your dates are flexible, try a Tuesday or Wednesday slot instead — demand is noticeably lower mid-week.

Our Own Booking Experience

We booked our Rawdah slots within our first day of arriving in Madinah in February 2023. My wife and I had separate time windows since men’s and women’s visiting hours don’t overlap. We chose an early morning slot — the app showed it as “Green” (low crowd) — and it was genuinely calm and unhurried. We were able to stand, make dua without being rushed, and take in the moment properly.

If your schedule allows it, an early morning weekday slot is worth prioritising over an evening slot purely for the quality of the experience, not just the booking ease.

What Happens Inside — A Quick Practical Note

Arrive at the entrance gate at least 20-30 minutes before your booked time slot. Staff check your QR code at the entrance, and again sometimes a second time closer to the Rawdah itself. Movement through the Rawdah is managed by staff in a continuous flow — you will not be rushed, but you also won’t be able to linger indefinitely if there is a queue building behind you. Make your dua with intention as you walk through; you do not need to stop completely to make a meaningful dua.

May Allah grant you a peaceful, unhurried moment at the Rawdah. Ameen. 🤲

How to Book the Rawdah Permit on Nusuk — Step by Step (2026)