LATEST HAJJ AND UMRAH UPDATE [ June, 2023]
Alhamdulillah, for Hajj 2023, the Hajj packages have been closed.
The total quota of pilgrims allowed to travel for Hajj from INDIA is 175,000. Of these, 140,000 pilgrims will travel with the Hajj Committee of INDIA and the remaining 35,000 will be allotted to licensed Hajj tour Operators.
Further, the Ministry of Hajj & Umrah, KSA has announced that there will be no upper age restriction for pilgrims traveling for Hajj in the year 2023, however, children below 12 years of age will not be allowed to perform Hajj this year.
Umrah season for the Hijri 1444 began from July 25, 2022, for all countries. The Umrah season will continue till June 07, 2023. The last date of entry for Umrah visa holders will be May 21, 2023.
Umrah season for Hijri 1445 will begin after Hajj 2023 from July 20, 2023.
As per the latest guidelines, request you to note the following details:
There is no age restriction for Umrah and guests are allowed to perform Umrah on both Umrah and Tourist Visa.
Direct flights for Umrah are available between Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India, as of now. The direct flights will land in Jeddah only. Guests wishing to travel to Madinah first or intending to plan their return flights from Madinah have to opt for VIA flights/ One Stop flights, as no direct flights are available to and from Madinah.
Also, a very important update is that guests traveling on Umrah visa are now allowed to travel to any city in Saudi Arabia. Earlier, Umrah visa holders were only allowed to fly to four cities in Saudi Arabia, namely, Jeddah, Madinah, Taif and Yanbu.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has successfully completed 99% vaccination target for its citizens and expats and thus most restrictions due to COVID 19 have been uplifted.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has approved all the vaccines available in India. Vaccination is NOT mandatory to travel for Umrah now. All guests, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, can now travel for Umrah without any RT PCR test.
Booster dose is NOT mandatory to enter the Kingdom for Umrah.
Further, online registration on NUSUK app is required to get 'Riyadh Al Jannah' permits, for ladies and gents. You can connect with our team on WhatsApp to get a short video for further guidance in this regard.
The newly introduced tourist visa is now available for the citizens of most of the countries. It is important to note that you are allowed to perform Umrah on this tourist visa, however, most airlines don't allow Zam Zam on tourist visas, as it is allowed for only Umrah and Hajj visa holders.
Lastly, we have seen a steep increase in the Umrah package prices. Insurance and handling costs have led to several fold increase in the Umrah visa prices. Furthermore, VAT has been increased from 5% to 15% and Municipality Tax of 5% has also been added to the hotels and transport. Therefore, the total package prices have substantially increased.
The further decline if the Indian Rupee has also led to increase in the Umrah package prices. Stay connected with us on this page for latest updates regarding Hajj and Umrah.
Jazakallah Khair
