As with Hajj, Umrah also falls into two types: obligatory and recommended. Umrah would become incumbent only once in the lifetime of one who has istitaah. As with Hajj, its obligation is immediate. In its obligation, there is no requirement for having istitaah for Hajj. If one were mustati for Umrah, it would become incumbent on him to perform, even if one is not mustati for Hajj. The opposite also holds true: If a person has istitaah for Hajj but is not mustati for Umrah, he should perform the Hajj.

But for those who are away from Makkah, such as the Iranians who shoulder the duty of Hajj at-Tamattu, the istitaah of Hajj and the istitaah of Umrah would be the same, as Hajj at-Tamattu is a combination of both. This is contrary to the case of people who are in Makkah or close to it. They shoulder the duty of Hajj and Umrah Mufradah, for one of which they should have istitaah.

Getting into the state of ihram is compulsory for anyone who wants to enter Makkah to get to the state of Umrah or Hajj. If he wants to enter Makkah sometime other than the Hajj season, he should perform Umrah Mufradah. This does not apply to one for whom only a month has passed after ihram. In such a case, ihram is not necessary.

Going on repeated Umrah (more than once), like going on Hajj repeatedly, is mustahabb. Spacing is not needed between two Umrah, but based on precaution, one can perform only one Umrah for himself every month. Each person can however, perform an Umrah on behalf of others.