UMRAH VISA

More than 6 million people visited the Kingdom to perform Umrah last year - the highest number of visitors to date.

This has been confirmed by Haj Minister Dr. Bandar bin Mohammed Hajjar.

He said that the arrival and departure processes were smooth and efficient. Only 6,000 visitors failed to comply with their pre-determined departure dates, a ratio of 1 in 1,000 people, and about 10 times less than the anticipated violation rate, he said.

The minister was addressing a public meeting organized by the ministry for Umrah companies.

Hajjar urged all companies and institutions to direct their efforts toward ensuring the best quality services are provided to all visitors.

The meeting was a follow-up gathering to an earlier session held on the 28th of Shawwal in Madinah.

The participants analyzed successes and failures in the past year and launched discussions in preparation for the coming season. Isa bin Mohammed Rawas, undersecretary for Umrah at the Ministry of Haj, highlighted the benefits of the new electronic service for visa processing that will start in Safar. The presentation also covered new regulations announced by the ministry for licensees both inside and outside the Kingdom.

These measures are aimed at facilitating Umrah procedures and boosting the level of services provided to pilgrims.