A three-month extension of the Umrah visa for pilgrims of all nations was announced by Saudi Arabia on Monday.
During his two-day official visit to Uzbekistan, Saudi Minister for Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah made the statement.
The pilgrims can now stay in the kingdom of the Middle East for one to three months, according to the Saudi Gazette. According to Al-Rabiah, the visas are issued using an internet system called “Nusuk,” making the process simpler for the pilgrims.
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In order to make it easier for international pilgrims to get Umrah and visit permissions for the Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madina through mobile applications, the new service was introduced in November of last year.
Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah made this announcement in Tashkent during his two-day official visit to Uzbekistan.
He said that some 12,000 pilgrims from Uzbekistan performed Hajj in the recent season after Saudi authorities relaxed rules related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He noted that more than 36,000 people from Uzbekistan have performed Umrah during the last two months, the majority of whom managed to visit Madinah and pray at Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah and visit religious and historical sites in Madinah.
“In cooperation with Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced the launch of a new service that allows overseas pilgrims to get permits for Umrah and prayer in the Grand Mosque, as well as for visiting the Prophet’s Mosque through ‘Eatmarna’ and ‘Tawakkalna’ Applications,” Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said in a statement.
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The service will be available through applications as soon as a user registers on the Saudi “Quddum” platform, according to the government.
The ministry exhorted all Tawakkalna and Eatmarna users to take the initiative and update the two apps on their respective mobile app stores.