Saudi Arabia has announced new visa rules for the pilgrims of Umrah 2025. Saudi Arabia officials have now made it mandatory for Umrah pilgrims to arrange for hotel booking and transport before applying for visa. This means that whatever pilgrims will apply for Saudi Arabia’s visa for Umrah, they will first have to share the complete information of their hotel booking and transportation. Only then will he be given a Visa of Saudi Arabia for Umrah 2025.

In fact, Saudi Arabia has announced this new rule so that the movement of pilgrims is better managed and they can be saved from housing fraudulent proposals. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Umrah operators are already appealing to their passengers to make their booking through Saudi Arabia’s official Nusuf platform or licensed agents before submitting a visa application for Umrah.

Saudi Arabia gave information about visa rules

The Haj and Umrah Ministry and concerned officials of Saudi Arabia have significantly tightened the entry rules for Umrah from this year, so that the approval of the visa, usually depending on the hotel contracts and evidence of the local transport system verified through Nusuk Masar and Nusuk Umrah platform.

This step is part of the widespread attempt to digital and set Umrah services, under which pilgrims coming to Umrah will have to upload or link verified booking before the visa is issued.

Steps taken to save pilgrims from fraud

Saudi officials said that this change protects the pilgrims from fraud and strengthens the crowd and housing management in the time of congestion and busyness.

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Saudi arabia on visa: Saudi Arabia has resumed a day after the conclusion of Haj 2025 i.e. today on Tuesday (June 10, 2025), to release Umrah Visa. Saudi Arabia officials had earlier said that more than 1.6 million Muslims from more than 150 countries offered prayers in Mecca during the annual Islamic pilgrimage.

The restoration of Umrah Visa has cleared the way for international pilgrims to return to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The Haj and Umrah Ministry of Saudi Arabia had already confirmed the beginning of the new session of Umrah, which means that new batch of foreign pilgrims will come for the pilgrimage.

Saudi Arabia banned visas of 14 countries

In April, Saudi Arabia suspended the release of short -term visas for 14 countries to curb the unauthorized Haj pilgrims and control inbound travel. Which included India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Nigeria, Jordan, Algeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Yemen and Morocco.

This temporary sanctions were imposed to avoid congestion during Haj 2025, which was a temporary suspension for citizens of these 14 countries on issuing Umrah, business and family travel visas. This rule is effective for the conclusion of Haj pilgrimage as well as till mid June 2025.

According to the official calendar of the Haj and Umrah Ministry, the issuance of visa will start from June 10. Umrah companies and international agents were directed to finalize their service agreements before May 27 as per the calendar issued earlier.

What is Umrah?

Umra is the pilgrimage of Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities of Islam in Saudi Arabia. This is almost like the Haj pilgrimage, there is a difference of time. However, different visas are required for both pilgrims.

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Saudi Arabia Stop Hajj Pilgrims: Saudi Arabia has stopped more than 269,600 people from entering Mecca without Haj permits. Officials said on Sunday (June 1, 2025) that our goal is to stop congestion in Haj.

The government of Saudi Arabia blames pilgrims coming without permits for congestion in Mecca. He says that a large number of such devotees were among those who died in the summer last year. However, there is a provision for punishment of up to $ 5,000 and deportation on those who come without permits.

Saudi residents also have to take permits

According to the rules, only people with permits are allowed to perform Haj, even if they live in Mecca throughout the year. It includes citizens of Saudi Arabia and residents there. Officials have fined more than 23 thousand Saudi people for violating Haj rules and canceled the licenses of 400 Haj companies.

14 lakh Muslims currently in Mecca

According to news agency AP, currently there are 1.4 million Muslims in Mecca and this number may increase in the coming days. Haj is the annual Islamic pilgrimage of Mecca and includes many religious rituals. In Muslim religion, every person has the responsibility of performing Haj, who is able to do so physically and financially.

20 lakh Muslims reach 5 days journey

Haj pilgrimage has been affected due to the increasing heat of Saudi in recent years because pilgrims perform their rituals in the open in the light and excessive heat of the day. It is normal for deaths during Haj because more than 2 million people go to Saudi Arabia for a 5 -day pilgrimage. During this time, stampede was seen several times. Saudi Arabia said that for the first time during the Haj, drones are being used to extinguish the fire along with monitoring and inspection.

A decision of Saudi Arabia government regarding Indian Haj pilgrims has made big leaders sleep. India’s private Haj quota has been cut by 80 percent, after which People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jayashankar has immediately appealed to talk to the Saudi Arabia government in this matter.

Mehbooba Mufti said that the decision to cut the sudden 80 % of the Saudi Arabia government has disturbed the tour operators and they are telling it sad news. He S. It is requested to Jaishankar that this issue should be raised immediately before the Saudi government and some solution should be found, otherwise thousands of people will have to bear the brunt of it.

CM Omar Abdullah also S. Jayashankar has urged to find a solution so that the problems of the affected pilgrims are removed. He said that it is surprising that the Haj slots of 52 thousand Indians were canceled, while they had done ghosts, it is very sad. Omar Abdullah said that these people were expecting to go on holy Haj pilgrimage this year, but the Saudi Arabia government suddenly gave this decision and gave them a shock. Now the Government of India should try immediately to find a solution so that the problems of thousands of passengers are removed.

According to a report by the Times of India, Saudi Arabia has canceled the Meena Zone for private tour operators, while it was allot for them earlier. Mecca and Madina are two cities of Saudi Arabia, which have been described as a holy city in Islam. Passengers visit Mecca and Medina during Haj.

Meena Mecca has a tent city, where passengers stay for 4 days during Haj and some customs related to Haj are done. The Saudi government has canceled Zone 1 and 2 of Meena for private tour operators, while the payment for 3,4 and 5 has also been closed. Earlier these zones were allotted to 26 private tour operators of India, under which 52 thousand passengers were to come here.

Haj pilgrimage starts every year at a special time and at its end, Eid-ul-Azha is celebrated, which is also called Bakrid. This year Haj pilgrimage can be between 4 June to 9 June, which depends on the moon appearance.

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The Supreme Court has refused to hear the petition challenging the implementation of Haj Policy-2025. In the petition, the allocation of quota of Haj pilgrims has been described as discriminatory and arbitrary. The court has refused to intervene in this case. However, the court admitted that the commercial interest should also be taken care of while making the policy. The Government of India has made this policy in collaboration with Saudi Arabia.

According to the report of Live Law, Justice Suryakant and Justice N. Kotishwar Singh’s bench was hearing on the case. The Haj Group Organizers (HGOS) filed separate writ petitions and objected to the implementation of the policy and said that some HGOs have been given less Haj pilgrims than others. The court was listening to all the petitions simultaneously. The court said that these petitions have been filed not to challenge the policy but to challenge its implementation. He said that the implementation of policy has already taken shape, then he cannot interfere in it.

The court told the chief and non-prominent HGO that they could reel to HGO with low allocation to surplus Haj pilgrims. The court admitted that in the implementation of new policy like Haj 2025, there are often initial challenges and also faces discrepancies.

The court said that the most important beneficiaries of policy are Haj pilgrims and religious interest is the basis of policy. Apart from this, it is also necessary to consider the commercial interests of HGO, for which these writ petitions have been filed, so in future, the interests of HGOs will take care of HGOs for the implementation of Haj policies.

The court said that these petitions have not challenged the policy but the implementation of policy, we will not handle it, but in future, the petitioners are free to put their arguments in front of the appropriate form for any such discrimination or other issues.

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