Saudi Arabia mandates vaccination for Umrah pilgrims from Feb

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has announced that individuals wishing to perform Umrah or visit the Kingdom, regardless of their visa type, must receive the required vaccinations, including the Neisseria meningitis vaccine.

The announcement was made in a circular issued by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to all airlines operating at the Kingdom’s airports, including private airlines.

The authority emphasised that airlines must inform travellers, especially those holding Umrah visas, about the health requirements specified on the Saudi Ministry of Health’s website.

As per a report by Arabic daily Masrawy, a source from the Chamber of Travel and Tourism Companies and Agencies stated that Saudi authorities will not permit citizens to perform the Umrah pilgrimage unless they meet the mandatory vaccination requirements set by GACA.

The source further noted that failure to comply with the vaccination requirement would prevent individuals from entering the Kingdom to perform Umrah.

This decision will come into effect on Monday, February 10.

Vaccination requirements

The authority has mandated that airlines ensure travellers receive the quadrivalent meningitis vaccine (either polysaccharide or conjugate). The following conditions apply:

• The vaccination certificate must be issued at least 10 days before arrival in Saudi Arabia.

• The certificate must not exceed 3 years for the polysaccharide type or 5 years for the conjugate type.

• Children under one year of age are exempt from this vaccine.

Strict enforcement measures

• Airlines are required to take all necessary precautions at the point of embarkation to ensure passengers have the required documentation for both transit and destination countries

• Non-compliance with GACA’s circulars will be considered a violation of the government’s orders, and violators will face legal consequences.