SR50,000 fine, 6-month jail for Umrah pilgrims overstaying their visas

Umrah pilgrims who stay in the Kingdom after the expiration of their entry visas will be fined SR50,000 each and imprisoned for six months before deportation, according to the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat).

It called on all Umrah pilgrims to adhere to their travel schedules and leave the Kingdom before the expiration of their entry visas.

The Jawazat said that those coming on Umrah visas are not allowed to travel outside Makkah, Jeddah, and Madinah.

It warned citizens and residents against transporting, employing, sheltering or hiding those with expired Umrah visas.

A General Authority for Statistics (GaStat) report issued on Tuesday said that 19,079,306 pilgrims performed Umrah in 2017.

The statistical report quoting the registered data of the Ministry of Haj and Umrah said that 6,532,074 Umrah pilgrims came from outside Saudi Arabia.

The GaStat Umrah statistics bulletin for 2017 also showed that Ramadan is considered a top season during which Umrah is performed by people from inside Saudi Arabia, as 53.6% of total pilgrims performed Umrah in the holy month of fasting.

source: saudigazette.com.sa

Umrah fee does not affect inflow of pilgrims

Umrah fee does not affect inflow of pilgrims

It seems the government’s recent decision to impose SR2,000 fee on pilgrims who perform Haj or Umrah more than once has not affected the inflow of visitors to the Two Holy Mosques at the start of this year’s Umrah season.

However, many pilgrims and Umrah operators requested the authorities to review the decision.

“It’s a big blow to Umrah operators,” said an agent of an Umrah service company from Kerala, which has sent thousands of pilgrims this season.

“We find it difficult to get pilgrims due to the new fee, which has increased the cost of an Umrah trip by Rs36,000,” said the agent.

He hoped that the Kingdom would withdraw the fee for the benefit of Umrah operators as well as Saudi businesses.

An elderly South African pilgrim, who introduced himself as Mohammed, said Saudi Arabia has every right to impose fee on pilgrims. However, he said the fee should be brought down to SR500.

“I have decided to come for Umrah every year irrespective of the cost it would incur. This is my 32nd Umrah,” Mohammed said while watching pilgrims circumambulate the Holy Kaaba.

“I manage to get the money required for visiting Makkah every year by the Grace of Allah.”

Zainul Abideen, a young Malaysian pilgrim who came for Umrah with his wife, was not happy with the fee, saying it would make Umrah unaffordable. “Many foreign pilgrims having low income like me wish to visit this holy place to pray to Allah and get His blessings,” he told Saudi Gazette.

He also agreed that Saudi Arabia has the right to impose fees for the services it offers.

“Even if it charges SR300 from every pilgrim it can make a good amount of money as more than seven million foreign pilgrims come for Umrah every year,” he pointed out.

Abideen has spent 14,000 ringgit (about SR11,700) for the Umrah trip of himself and his wife. “We came on a Saudia flight, which was full of pilgrims. This is our first Umrah and we are extremely delighted for getting an opportunity to make this wonderful spiritual journey,” he told Saudi Gazette sitting in the Grand Mosque.

Bangladeshi businessman Mohammed Shahidul Islam also expressed his hope that the Saudi government would lift the fee in order to encourage more faithful to visit Makkah and Madinah.

Asked about the response of Bangladeshi Muslims toward the Umrah fee, he said: “They are hopeful that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman would revoke it for the benefit of all Muslims who dream to visit the holy places in Saudi Arabia.”

Saudi Gazette also met a group of young Indonesian pilgrims at the Grand Mosque, some of them have paid SR2,000 Umrah fee. They believe the fee would decrease the number of Indonesians going for Umrah.

“We hope King Salman would revoke the Umrah fee in response to the prayers and pleas of Muslims all over the world,” said Akbar, a member of the group.

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Source: saudigazette.com.sa

Umrah fee does not affect inflow of pilgrims

Source: flickr

Umrah fee does not affect inflow of pilgrims

It seems the government’s recent decision to impose SR2,000 fee on pilgrims who perform Haj or Umrah more than once has not affected the inflow of visitors to the Two Holy Mosques at the start of this year’s Umrah season.

However, many pilgrims and Umrah operators requested the authorities to review the decision.

“It’s a big blow to Umrah operators,” said an agent of an Umrah service company from Kerala, which has sent thousands of pilgrims this season.

“We find it difficult to get pilgrims due to the new fee, which has increased the cost of an Umrah trip by Rs36,000,” said the agent.

He hoped that the Kingdom would withdraw the fee for the benefit of Umrah operators as well as Saudi businesses.

An elderly South African pilgrim, who introduced himself as Mohammed, said Saudi Arabia has every right to impose fee on pilgrims. However, he said the fee should be brought down to SR500.

“I have decided to come for Umrah every year irrespective of the cost it would incur. This is my 32nd Umrah,” Mohammed said while watching pilgrims circumambulate the Holy Kaaba.

“I manage to get the money required for visiting Makkah every year by the Grace of Allah.”

Zainul Abideen, a young Malaysian pilgrim who came for Umrah with his wife, was not happy with the fee, saying it would make Umrah unaffordable. “Many foreign pilgrims having low income like me wish to visit this holy place to pray to Allah and get His blessings,” he told Saudi Gazette.

He also agreed that Saudi Arabia has the right to impose fees for the services it offers.

“Even if it charges SR300 from every pilgrim it can make a good amount of money as more than seven million foreign pilgrims come for Umrah every year,” he pointed out.

Abideen has spent 14,000 ringgit (about SR11,700) for the Umrah trip of himself and his wife. “We came on a Saudia flight, which was full of pilgrims. This is our first Umrah and we are extremely delighted for getting an opportunity to make this wonderful spiritual journey,” he told Saudi Gazette sitting in the Grand Mosque.

Bangladeshi businessman Mohammed Shahidul Islam also expressed his hope that the Saudi government would lift the fee in order to encourage more faithful to visit Makkah and Madinah.

Asked about the response of Bangladeshi Muslims toward the Umrah fee, he said: “They are hopeful that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman would revoke it for the benefit of all Muslims who dream to visit the holy places in Saudi Arabia.”

Saudi Gazette also met a group of young Indonesian pilgrims at the Grand Mosque, some of them have paid SR2,000 Umrah fee. They believe the fee would decrease the number of Indonesians going for Umrah.

“We hope King Salman would revoke the Umrah fee in response to the prayers and pleas of Muslims all over the world,” said Akbar, a member of the group.

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Source: saudigazette.com.sa

30% increase in Umrah pilgrims seen by 2020

30% increase in Umrah pilgrims seen by 2020

JEDDAH: The National Transformation Program of 2020, one of the initiatives of the Kingdom’s 2030 Vision, stated that the annual increase of Haj pilgrims to the Kingdom stands at 13 percent. However, annually increasing in Umrah visitors will be 30 percent.

According to the National Transformation Program, whose details were announced Tuesday at a news conference, the number of Haj pilgrims from both inside and outside the Kingdom, is expected to go up by 2020 to 2.5 million, an annual increase of up to 13 percent. The number of pilgrims last year, was estimated at 1.5 million.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Haj and Umrah, Hatem Alqadi, said the annual increase in pilgrims will be open to all Muslims from all over the globe, adding that the work will be the same, and the mechanism of housing and feeding the pilgrims will be pursued by the ministry based on contracts with companies and institutions that provide pilgrim services, including transportation.

He said the ministry will be working throughout the year and has much experience in supporting pilgrims and those visiting the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.

He added that by 2020, 15 million Umrah visitors will reach the Kingdom, a 30 percent increase over the current 6 million, according to Al-Watan.

Source: arabnews.com

Holy sites may remain open for Umrah pilgrims all year

Holy sites may remain open for Umrah pilgrims all year

MAKKAH — The Haj Ministry is presently considering to keep the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah open throughout the year for Umrah pilgrims, minister Bandar Al-Hajjar has said.

In an exclusive interview with Okaz/Saudi Gazette, Hajjar said the holy sites will remain open for Umrah pilgrims on condition that there are no excessive religious practices and under the rules to be approved by the government.

“We are considering the step in coordination with 20 other ministries and government departments which are involved in the Haj services,” he explained.

The minister also said his ministry will next Haj season make it obligatory on each pilgrim to wear the electronic bracelet which contains all data about him/her including name, Haj mission, address in the holy sites and other information that can be automatically retrieved any time.

He said the ministry will also introduce smart electronic applications to provide better and more comprehensive services to the Guests of Allah.

“We will complete our electronic portal which has so far been implemented by about 80 percent,” he added.

Hajjar said, under the portal, the ministry now has complete information about the real or fake service-providing companies inside the Kingdom and abroad.

“Thanks to the portal, we now have a complete blacklist of the violating companies,” Hajjar said threatening to withdraw the license of any company which is found to be substandard.

He advised external pilgrims to browse the ministry’s e-portal to know all the travel and tourism agencies which are licensed in their own countries to provide Haj services so as not to fall prey to the fake companies which will only embezzle their money.

He said the ministry will also next Haj season start enlightening pilgrims via text messages on their mobile phones about the correct methods of doing the rituals and the legal safe conduct they should closely observe during their stay in the Kingdom.

Hajjar asked all the Muslim countries and the Muslim communities in non-Islamic countries to enlighten their pilgrims to stay away from all publicity actions, secret meetings, demonstrations, tampering with the security of pilgrims, raising banners and flags containing unacceptable slogans, organizing political symposia or spreading sectarianism.

He also urged them to ask their pilgrims to be committed to the program of ascending from Makkah to Mina and Arafat, the grouping from their tents to the Jamrat and the Grand Mosque, regulations preventing squatting on the Haram plazas or the streets in Mina and to strictly observe good behavior.

Al-Hajjar said the ministry is currently considering to establish a new single institutional entity to represent  the 48 Umrah companies before the ministry and other concerned Haj authorities.

“The companies welcomed the idea which will open the door for the licensing of new Umah companies which may reach at least 100 firms in the coming days,” the minister said.

Article by: saudigazette.com.sa