Indians can now perform Umrah through a stopover visa

RIYADH – Saudi Arabia announced a major initiative on Tuesday to enhance the travel experience for Indian citizens, especially Muslims.

Union Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan spoke to reporters alongside Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq bin Fawzan and confirmed that Indians could now use the stop-over visa for performing Umrah.

Details suggest that the Indians traveling to the West or the Middle East (West Asia) can avail the facility of Umrah and get a 96-hour stopover visa; they can also explore any city in Saudi Arabia.

Besides the Umrah facilitiy, both the sides also discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the tourism sector and launch more direct flights to cater to the growing number of Indian pilgrims.

“We are committed to initiating discussions to enhance the range of direct flights options between our two nations to accommodate an increasing number of Indians looking to perform Umrah. We are also focused on enhancing capacity to meet the anticipated increase by introducing new scheduled flights through Saudi low-cost airlines, Flynas and Flyadeal,” the Saudi minister said.

Additionally, the Saudi delegation confirmed that three new visa centers will be opened in India to facilitate the flyers.

The Saudi minister also highlighted that to streamline Umrah visits, individuals looking to perform Umrah can now obtain a Kingdom entry visa within 48 hours.

‘Additionally, Indian travelers can perform Umrah in Saudi Arabia using their work, tourism, or Umrah visas. Furthermore, Indians traveling to the West or the Middle East can obtain a stopover visa that is for 96 hours and get a visa within the ticket issuance process, which allows them to perform Umrah and visit any city in the Kingdom.’ he said.

The visiting Saudi minister said Umrah visa is valid for 90 days and allows holders to reside and travel within the Kingdom, ensuring an efficient and convenient pilgrimage experience.

More than 1.2 million people from India went to Umrah in 2023, which is a 74 percent increase from 2022 as per the government figures.

Umrah and Hajj are sacred pilgrimage journeys in Islam. Umrah is a non-mandatory pilgrimage that can be undertaken at any time of the year, involving specific rituals like Tawaf (circumambulation) around the Kaaba in Mecca. In contrast, Hajj is a mandatory pilgrimage performed during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah. Both Umrah and Hajj hold great spiritual significance for Muslims.