JEDDAH, July 5 — The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has started issuing electronic visas for umrah as part of its efforts to enable more Muslims to come to the Kingdom to perform the umrah rituals and facilitate its procedures for them.
This comes along with raising the quality of umrah services to achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the ministry stated that people who seek electronic visas can submit applications at the Nusuk platform, so they can arrive in Saudi by July 19th.
The Nusuk platform facilitates arrival procedures for all Muslims from worldwide to visit Makkah and Madinah, provides housing choices, residence and transportation services, in addition to easy access to a package of enrichment information, and interactive maps in several languages.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah previously announced, in cooperation with the concerned authorities, that holders of tourist visa from Gulf Cooperation Council of Arab states and holders of Schengen visa can book umrah appointments via the Nusk app.
The Hajj and Umrah Ministry also facilitates procedures for all holders of the different types of visas. Facilities provided by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to the umrah performers are a part of legislation development that is recently adopted, including reducing the insurance fees for umrah performers by 63 per cent while maintaining the sustainability of health services for them, issuing the umrah visa in less than 24 hours, and extending the umrah visa from 30 days to 90 days, with no health requirements.
The facilitated procedures of umrah also permit women performing the umrah without the need for a male guardian (mahram), while it includes the ability of umrah performers to visit the unique sites of the Kingdom to learn about its cultural diversity and enrich their religious and cultural experience.
— Bernama
