HOLDERS OF VISIT VISA WON’T STAY, ENTER MAKKAH DURING HAJJ SEASON – SAUDI INTERIOR MINISTRY

By Administrators On May 29, 2024

FILE - Muslim pilgrims pray around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on June 25, 2023. For the first time in over a decade, 270 Syrians traveled on a direct flight early Tuesday from Damascus to Saudi Arabia for the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage, the Syrian Transportation Ministry said. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

By Ajape Sefiu A.

The Saudi Ministry of Interior has announced that visit visa holders will not be allowed to enter or remain in Makkah during the Hajj season.

This development means between May 23 and June 21, only pilgrims with Hajj permits may do so, with penalties imposed on anyone violating the rules.

Furthermore, the ministry emphasized that visit visas did not give the holder permission to perform Hajj.

It also urged visitors currently in Saudi Arabia to avoid travel to Makkah during the specified period.

“Violators will be subject to penalties according to the Kingdom’s regulations,” said a statement from the ministry.

Earlier, the Ministry of Interior said it would start imposing fines amounting to $2,666 on anyone, including Saudi citizens, caught entering Makkah without a Hajj permit between June 2-20.