UAE: Umrah season to end soon; residents urged to book visas before May 15 deadline

UAE residents wishing to perform the Umrah pilgrimage are being advised to hurry and book their tickets as the last visas for foreign travellers will be issued on May 15. The Umrah season will end on May 31 while the last day for visitors to leave Saudi Arabia is June 29.

Earlier this month, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Haj and Umrah announced that the Umrah season will continue until the end of the Hijri month of Shawwal.

Saudi Arabia has witnessed a massive increase in the number of pilgrims since relaxing Covid restrictions at the beginning of March this year. The kingdom suspended social distancing measures in the Grand Holy Mosque, the Prophet’s Holy Mosque and other mosques, and in all open and closed places. Though not required outdoors, masks must be worn inside mosques and other indoor facilities.

Steps to go for Umrah :

Apply for Umrah visa

Book an Umrah package - the cheapest option is available from Dh3,700. This includes visa costs, three nights stay in Makkah and two nights stay in Madina, 3* hotels, flight tickets on Saudia airlines and internal travels.

Before travelling, pilgrims must complete the Mukeem registration by providing details of flight tickets and vaccine information. A QR code will be generated once the application is complete. Have this handy at the immigration as a printout or on the mobile.

Documents required for Umrah visa application

When entering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, pilgrims must register on the Eatmarna Application, through the following steps:

New user.

Select the box (Visitor/from Gulf Countries).

Fill in the required data.

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Ways to get to Saudi for Umrah

By road: GCC nationals and UAE expatriates can enter the Kingdom by road, although it must be a group travelling through a tour operator. The journey could take anywhere between 10 and 15 days

By air: Passengers can fly to any of the following airports:

King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah

Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madina

Information sourced from: Deira Travels and Tourists Agency; official Haj website; UAE Government portal.

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