RIYADH — In a major overhaul of its Umrah visa policy, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has reduced the pre-travel validity period of the Umrah visa, forcing pilgrims to enter the Kingdom within 30 days of the date of its issuance.
The new umrah visa policy directive states that those who fail to enter Saudi Arabia within 30 days upon the release of their Umrah visa will have the latter automatically canceled. Previously, the pilgrims had three months to travel beyond the date of issuance of the visa.
Although the pre-entry validity has been curtailed, the Ministry has made it clear that the pilgrims, upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, will still be allowed to stay up to three months, as was the case under the previous rules.
Ahmed Bajiffer, Advisor to the National Committee for Umrah, said the new rules will be implemented starting next week. He added that the decision is a means to enhance the management of the growing influx of Umrah visitors entering the Kingdom throughout the year.
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According to Arab News, more than four million international pilgrims have already been issued Umrah visas since June, a record increase from previous years. The updated policy is expected to streamline travel flows and enhance crowd management for millions of worshippers going to Makkah and Madinah.
