The Ministry of Haj’s Umrah affairs administration has announced that it now processes all local organizations’ contracts with foreign agents electronically.
Pilgrims have been arriving for Umrah since the beginning of December or the start of the Hijri month of Safar.
Adnan bin Mohammed Hariri, director of administration, said the department starts processing all documentation at the start of every year.
The department receives requests from local Umrah organizations electronically, and gives them the green light to start contracting with external agents. The ministry would then issue visas to approved external agents.
He denied that the Kingdom, represented by its embassies abroad, was charging fees for issuing Umrah visas.
He said that in the past, some companies outside the Kingdom organized Umrah trips and programs without the supervision of the Haj Ministry. In these cases, pilgrims suffered because these operators charged exorbitant prices and did not provide proper housing.
This had prompted the ministry to draft new Umrah regulations. After a comprehensive study by government agencies, it was found that 25 percent of pilgrims overstayed their visas in 2001. The government has reduced this to 0.17 percent, he said.
“Since these regulations took effect 13 years ago, the number of overstaying cases has decreased significantly, especially since the Kingdom has invested large sums of money to improve services for pilgrims.” He said the new measures include better reception and transport services, improved hotel accommodation in Makkah and Madinah, ensuring the implementation of agreed service packages, and punishing negligent host institutions.
He said the ministry will not issue any visas to foreign agents that had more than 1 percent of their pilgrims overstaying their visas. The ministry will reinstate them if they resolve these issues. He said pilgrims could file service complaints at the ministry’s branches in Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah.
He thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for supporting and overseeing the development of Umrah services in the country.
Hariri said there are currently 48 authorized Umrah organizations in the Kingdom. Each year, the ministry licenses new companies that have the equipment and capability.
The Haj ministry has a company called “Tasheel” that is authorized to monitor the services of the internal Umrah companies and organizations, including those providing transport and housing services. The ministry also has service centers around the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah to resolve any problems faced by pilgrims, he said.
He said the ministry would increase the number of pilgrims allowed into the country for Haj, Umrah and Ramadan once contractors complete the expansion of the two holy mosques.
All Umrah contracts now processed electronically
