Saudi Arabia announces restriction on Umrah visa

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry for Hajj and Umrah has announced a major restriction on Umrah visa for pilgrims visiting the Kingdom.

According to the announcement from the ministry, the Umrah visa has a duration of 30 days and there would be no extension in its duration.

It further shared that for collective prayer at the Grand Mosque in Makkah or for performing Umrah, the pilgrims would require to get a prior online permit.

The permit is also mandatory for Saudi citizens and foreigners living in the Kingdom, it said adding that entry to the mosque will be restricted over the absence of the permit.

Further sharing restrictions on children, the Saudi officials said that children aged below two-year-old are barred from entering the Grand Mosque.

In mid-January, Saudi Arabia restricted the repetition of Umrah for foreign pilgrims, only allowing them to perform it three times during a 30-day stay amid concerns over rising COVID-19 cases.

According to local media reports quoting the Saudi Ministry for Hajj and Umrah, a recent decision restricting the repetition of Umrah or lesser pilgrimage to a 10-day gap also applies to overseas Muslims.

“Pilgrims arriving from abroad are allowed to stay in the country for 30 days and have to meet certain requirements,” the ministry said and added that the pilgrims have to be aged 12 and above, and show the status of immunization on the health app Tawakkalna.

Based on the 10-day interval for repeating Umrah, the overseas Muslims could undertake the rituals three times at most during their 30-day stay.