An international electronic network will be established for the reception of Umrah visa applications and the issuance of visas, said Minister of Haj, Bandar bin Hajar. The network will directly link the ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs to other government departments.
The new system will implement regulations concerned with the follow-up of Umrah and Haj companies and their compliance with the specifications for introducing the service under the ministry’s supervision.
The minister said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has called for the implementation of this service as soon as possible.
An Umrah visa applicant would apply through a foreign agent that is contracted with a Saudi Haj company. The foreign agent provides the data for an Umrah-visa applicant through the electronic network and links the application to the group of services for which the agent is contracted with the domestic company. The agent then pays for the services to the approved Saudi company via bank transfer.
Umrah pilgrims’ data are then provided to the Ministry of Interior, who will issue an electronic entry number for each pilgrim. The numbers are provided to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who will issue the visa 48 hours after it receives the pilgrim’s information via the Ministry of Interior. The foreign agent will be notified to appear at the Saudi embassy to have the visa issued in the applicant’s passport.
After the pilgrim has arrived in the Kingdom, the Ministry of Haj will ensure that all services paid for are provided through field committees. These committees would detect company violations and submit reports to the Legal Affairs Department that will investigate the violations and issue the required penalties.
