Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, the Saudi Arabian Minister of Hajj and Umrah, announced the launch of an e-service to assist individual Umrah pilgrims from outside the Kingdom in applying for visas directly.

As they head to Makkah Al-Mukarramah, they can choose all the services electronically, including accommodations, transportation, and others.

According to the Minister, the Umrah visa will be issued in less than 24 hours and the period has been extended from 1 to 3 months without any restrictions on pilgrims. The person coming from Umrah can move freely between Saudi regions, and the ministry will continue to do all it can to enrich and develop the experience.

Al-Rabiah explained that Umrah visa applications can be submitted from outside Saudi Arabia, away from Umrah campaigns. The Saudi Vision 2030 aims to facilitate the reception of large numbers of Umrah pilgrims.

- During the conference, the Minister of Hajj and Umrah emphasized that digital services are integral to the development of service for all Umrah pilgrims and worshippers. One of the services launched during the Corona pandemic period was Eatmarna, which aimed to organize Umrah and enter the Rawdah Al-Sharifa and significantly contributed to a more efficient distribution of pilgrims.

He continued saying that we are working on the NESC platform, which is a complete platform enhancing the digital experience, and that it is one of the upcoming projects we are working on and will contribute to enhancing the experience, improving and upgrading the service.

The Minister announced that this year's Hajj season would see 1 million pilgrims, with the aim of ensuring their safety from pandemics and providing quality services and ensuring their safe return home.

As we know that there are many requests to perform Hajj this year, the safety of pilgrims and their safe return remain our top priority. We have been interested in implementing technology in Hajj, including the Smart Hajj card.

SOURCE : SAUDI EXPATRIATES