Saudi Arabia plans to offer a new registration service to Umrah pilgrims based on ‘bio-signature characteristics’ for the quick issuance of online visas from five countries – Britain, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Kuwait.
The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said the facility will be offered through the ‘Saudi Visa Bio smartphone’ application of the foreign ministry.
The ministry said it also plans to launch a comprehensive insurance service for pilgrims and Umrah performers, which covers health emergencies, Covid-19 infections, accidents and deaths, and cancelling or delaying flights.
In a report, the ministry said it offered services to seven million Umrah performers, including four million on Umrah visas, during 2022.
The ministry said it offered all human efforts and services to facilitate procedures for Umrah performers to conduct their rituals easily.
The ministry also disclosed the release of 13 awareness guides for pilgrims in 14 different languages, and an Umrah comprehensive guide to advise Umrah performers of all relevant religious, medical, and procedural information before their arrival.
The ministry said it also facilitated visits of all types of visa holders – tourist visa, instant visa on arrival, family visa, personal visa, besides Schengen, UK and US visa holders – to perform Umrah rituals.
The ministry said Umrah visa had been extended from 30 to 90 days, allowing for travel throughout the country, especially to enable visit to recently developed historical monuments and religious sites.
It has also launched the ‘Nusuk platform’ to offer 121 services to book and design the Umrah programme and issue visas electronically to all countries of the world.
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