Issuance of Hajj visa from today

Thee Saudi authorities would start issuing visas to more than 1.2 million pilgrims for the upcoming annual Hajj from Friday (today) as the kingdom prepared for the arrival of the Muslims from around the world just before mid-May, media reports said, quoting Saudi officials, on Thursday.

A Saudi committee, in charge of housing the pilgrims in the holy city of Makkah, has already licensed a total of 1,860 buildings for the upcoming annual Hajj season, to accommodate an estimated 1.2 million pilgrims, according to the reports.

This year’s Hajj will fall between Friday, June 14 and Wednesday, June 19, depending on the sighting of the moon. From last year, the number of pilgrims, performing Hajj had returned to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels.

Saudi Hajj Minister Tawfiq Al Rabiah said that visas would commence from March 1 (today) and continue until the 20th of Shawwal, corresponding to April 29. He added that the arrival of pilgrims would begin on the first of Zul Qad, corresponding to May 9.

Saudi Arabia has recently disclosed rules for the upcoming Hajj season and stressed early preparations. According to these rules, no specific places would be allotted any more for countries at the Saudi holy sites in the new pilgrimage season.

Al Rabiah explained that places for different countries would be designated depending on finalising contracts. According to the minister, the number of buildings for pilgrims in Makkah, was expected to eventually exceed 5,000.

Makkah Deputy Governor of Prince Saud bin Meshal has recently extended the deadline for receiving applications from landlords of such buildings for licensing them, until the end of Shawwal, corresponding to May 8.