SAUDI ARABIA ADOPTS UNIFIED VISA SYSTEM FOR HAJ & UMRAH

Saudi Arabia has announced the implementation of a unified visa system for pilgrims travelling to the kingdom for haj and umrah. Following a restructuring of the system by the Council of Ministers, pilgrims as well as visitors and transit passengers now will pay SR300 ($80) for a visa.

According to a report by Arabian Business, the Cabinet has also cancelled the fee for repeating the Umrah pilgrimage. Previously an umrah pilgrim had to pay SR2,000 ($533) in case of repeating the pilgrimage during a three-year period.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, Minister of Haj and Umrah Mohammed Benten, who is also chairman of the Committee of the Guests’ Service Program said: “This also shows kingdom’s readiness to receive the increasing number of Haj and Umrah pilgrims through huge infrastructure projects and improving the system of services in Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites.”

The kingdom is due to announce the launch of tourist visas at the end of the month (September 2019).

Source: HotelierMiddleEast.com