Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Haj and Umrah opened Umrah visa applications for international pilgrims, starting from Thursday, July 14, 2022, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The start of Umrah for pilgrims from inside and outside the Kingdom begins on the first of Muharram next year 1444 AH, corresponding to July 30, 2022.
“We are receiving visa requests to perform Umrah, bearing in mind that issuing permits to perform Umrah from inside and outside the kingdom, starts on first [day] of Muharram,” the ministry said.
Pilgrims can visit the ministry’s official website for more information and details.
Visa applicants must be vaccinated with a vaccine approved by Saudi Arabia’s government. The vaccine certificate issued by official authorities of their respective countries must be presented.
According to an SPA report, Umrah agents from outside the Kingdom can apply for a license online at umralicense.haj.gov.sa.
Domestic pilgrims can apply for Umrah permits through the Eatmarna application from July 19.
In June, the Ministry of Haj and Umrah announced that only Haj pilgrims will be allowed to perform Umrah between June 24 and July 19.
This year, Kingdom allowed one million pilgrims from inside and outside the country to participate in Haj.
Haj is usually one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, with about 2.5 million people performing the ritual in 2019.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kingdom had sharply decreased the number of pilgrims allowed to perform the ritual.
