JEDDAH: The Ministry of Haj has ordered that Umrah pilgrims carry nonrefundable return tickets with them when they come for the lesser pilgrimage.
In a circular sent to all licensed Umrah service-providing companies on Friday the ministry said that the Saudi company, which brings the pilgrim to the Kingdom, would be responsible and hence penalized if any pilgrim remained in the Kingdom after the expiry of his visa.
A company should guarantee that the external travel agencies collaborating with it issue only nonrefundable return tickets to Umrah pilgrims, the circular said. The ministry was prompted to issue the order because an Umrah service company complained to the ministry that the airlines that brought 2,500 pilgrims from Pakistan recently refused to fly them back on the grounds that their return tickets were canceled.
The situation resulted in the pilgrims remaining in the Kingdom even after the expiry of their visas, thus becoming overstayers who under normal circumstances would be arrested, fined and deported.
However it is not clear how the tickets were canceled.
