Samia Samy, Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Travel Company Affairs and Head of the Supreme Committee for Umrah and Hajj, said one of the most notable new features of the new Umrah rules for the 1448 AH season is the launch, for the first time, of the Rafiq app for Egyptian Umrah pilgrims and travel company supervisors. The app aims to develop the digital monitoring system for the Egyptian pilgrim's journey and is available on the official app stores.
She stressed that, when contracting and in accordance with the rules approved by the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, travel companies are required to notify pilgrims or their families of the need to download the app and create an account for each pilgrim, and to direct them to upload the contract documents through the app, including the trip contract and payment receipt. The app also displays the pilgrim's identification QR code to the relevant authorities at Egyptian ports when traveling.
The app allows pilgrims to confirm their arrival at their contracted accommodation in both Makkah and Madinah, as well as confirm their return through Egyptian ports, proving the end of the program.
Under the new Umrah rules, travel companies are required to respond immediately to reports and notifications received through the app and all other official channels, whether issued by the ministry or submitted by pilgrims.
In a related context, the travel company supervisor is required to use the "Rafiq Supervision" app as the official app for monitoring trips, through which the supervisor:
Records the group's departure from within the customs area at the port of departure, to verify that the travel date matches the approved program.
Records the group's arrival at accommodation in Makkah and Madinah, to verify that the accommodation matches the approved program.
Records the group's arrival at ports of entry in Egypt, proving that the program has been completed.
Samia Samy stressed that organizing Umrah trips is legally restricted to licensed travel companies only, protecting the rights of both citizens and travel companies, in accordance with the provisions of the Egyptian Umrah Portal Law No. 72 of 2021.
She added that the Umrah rules for the 1448 AH season, approved by the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, allow travel companies to authenticate Umrah agency contracts for the new season according to the dates set by the Saudi authorities. Agency contracts may not be authenticated for companies facing a penalty of more than one month, though they may authenticate them once the penalty period ends.
