The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, issued an order restructuring visit, Hajj and transit visas, which included abolishing the repeat Umrah fee, which had stood at 2,000 Saudi riyals.
For his part, Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Mohammad Saleh Benten praised the decision to abolish the fee, which reflects the Kingdom’s readiness to receive an increasing number of pilgrims, coinciding with the completion of huge infrastructure projects and the development of services in Mecca, Medina and the holy sites. He added that the decision also confirms the leadership’s keenness to facilitate the arrival of Muslims from around the world to perform the duty of Hajj and Umrah.
The Saudi Hajj minister said the royal decree supports one of the most important goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, receiving 30 million Umrah pilgrims by 2030, amid a system of high-quality services the Kingdom provides to the guests of the Most Merciful, enabling them to perform the rituals of Hajj and Umrah in comfort and peace of mind.
It is worth noting that the repeat Umrah fee had been introduced by a decision of the Saudi Council of Ministers as part of amending some fees, most notably for issuing Umrah and Hajj visas, with the single-entry visa fee set at 2,000 riyals and the state covering this fee for first-time arrivals performing Hajj or Umrah. A draft royal decree accompanying the decision was prepared, stipulating that the decision be applied starting from 1 Muharram 1438 AH, corresponding to October 2, 2016.
