The government of Saudi Arabia is launching an electronic visa or e-visa for those interested in performing the holy Umrah. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced that this visa will be available within 24 hours.
According to the ministry, those interested in going to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah can apply for e-visa using the Nusuk app. The visa period has been extended from one month to three months.
Health test is not required to get visa. There is no obligation for women to have a male guardian. Interested persons can go to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah on the first day of Muharram (July 19), the first month of the Arabic calendar.
The Saudi government announced the launch of this electronic service mainly for the Umrah visa application of interested pilgrims. It informs about issuance of visa for Umrah within 24 hours of application.
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 aims to facilitate the reception in Saudi Arabia of large numbers of pilgrims wishing to perform Umrah. According to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, 1 million people performed the holy Hajj in 2022. Among these pilgrims, 85 percent or 850,000 pilgrims are foreigners and 15 percent or 150,000 pilgrims are domestic pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the ministry has decided to expand services including e-visa to improve the quality of services for Umrah pilgrims and make their entry into Saudi Arabia easier.
