On Thursday, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah stated that travelers who acquired tourist and commercial visas will now be able to make the Umrah pilgrimage while in Saudi Arabia.
The move aims to ease bureaucracy and open the pilgrimage to more visitors to reach 30 million Umrah pilgrims annually — a target of Vision 2030.
Saudi officials estimate that a new season of Umrah pilgrims is expected to exceed 10 million.
This facility is available for citizens of 49 countries around the world. They can secure their visas online through Visiting Saudi Arabia portal or immediately on arrival at Saudi airports, the ministry said while noting that the decision has been taken to facilitate as many people as possible to perform the lesser pilgrimage.
The ministry stated that those who qualify to perform Umrah also include US, UK, and Schengen visa holders. This comes in conjunction with the start of the new Umrah season for the current year 1444 AH, with the aim of opening the way for the most significant number of Muslims worldwide to perform Umrah freely and easily.
The system allows people to obtain a tourist visa, valid for a period of 12 months, upon arrival at one of the Saudi airports without the need for prior application, and the visa holders will be allowed to visit the cities and regions all over the Kingdom.
The visa applicants shall be from those countries that are included among the countries eligible for obtaining the electronic visa. Regarding those who are holders of American, UK, and Schengen visas, their visas shall be valid and bear an entry stamp from the issuing country.
Family visit and personal visit visa holders can also perform the pilgrimage by booking an appointment through the Eatmarna application during their visits to relatives and friends in the Kingdom, and by applying to the Unified National Visa Platform.
To carry out Umrah rituals, visitors must have comprehensive medical insurance that covers — among other things — the treatment costs of COVID-19, personal incidents resulting in death and disability, and flight delays or cancellations.
Those who wish to perform Umrah from nations other than those countries, which are currently qualified, should apply for visas at the Kingdom’s embassies in their respective countries.
