By Akram Medhat
Basel El-Sisi, a member of the general assembly of the Chamber of Tourism Companies and former head of its religious tourism committee, said that VFS Tasheel, the company responsible for issuing Saudi Arabian visas, has set tomorrow, Thursday, November 9, as the deadline for tour companies organizing Umrah trips to register on its electronic system, to make it easier to set appointments for each company's clients, in groups, to complete the biometric eye-scan procedure at Tasheel's offices.
El-Sisi explained in a statement to Travel Yalla News that this date concerns tour companies, and is not related to paying their registration fees on the electronic system of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, which amount to 2,000 riyals.
Fingerprinting for Individuals
He added that individuals are allowed to complete this procedure at any time before traveling for Umrah during the season, provided they register on the Tasheel website to book an appointment and go to the nearest of its offices for the eye scan, pointing out that the application of the fingerprint procedure will begin on November 19, as announced by Tasheel.
El-Sisi noted that the fingerprint procedure has become an inevitable condition for Umrah pilgrims to obtain a visa, because it is a sovereign decision by the Saudi authorities. It used to be applied at airports before pilgrims' entry, but they have moved this procedure to each country to prevent pilgrims from crowding while completing their entry procedures at the airport.
Tasheel's Fingerprinting... and the Absence of the Relevant Authorities
On the other hand, El-Sisi asked where the relevant government authorities are in the mechanism for applying this procedure, as they could find several ways to make it easier for citizens and for Tasheel, whether through the Civil Registry at the Ministry of Interior or other bodies, thereby providing a database for any Egyptian citizen wishing to perform Umrah, even if the procedure is carried out annually, as the Saudi authorities have decided.
Eye-Scan Regulations
It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia announced the mandatory application of the eye-scan system to those wishing to perform the rituals in the new 1439 AH/2018 Umrah season, for all pilgrims aged 12 to 69, with the service costing $4.5 per pilgrim.
It stressed that all those wishing to perform Umrah must contact Tasheel to book an appointment for fingerprinting, noting that pilgrims can currently have their fingerprints taken, provided their trip is at any time during the 1439 AH Umrah season, on condition that they keep the fingerprint code and give it to the tour company at the time of booking in order to obtain the Umrah visa.
