The Saudi Arabian government has made important changes in its visa rules. The Saudi government has announced that travelers from 14 countries, including India, will now only get single entry visas.
That is, multiple entry visas have been banned for these countries. This rule has been implemented from February 1, 2025. Its purpose is to stop people from unauthorizedly performing Hajj on long-term visit visas. Unauthorized Hajj pilgrims have emerged as a major challenge for Saudi in recent years.
The Saudi government has banned multiple visas for travellers from Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen. The one-year multiple-entry visa for tourism, business and family visits for these 14 countries has been suspended indefinitely. Saudi officials say this will help better control the Haj pilgrimage.
what are the new rules
Under the new rules, people from the 14 affected countries can only apply for a single-entry visa. This visa will be valid for 30 days. That is, it will allow a maximum stay of 30 days. Hajj, Umrah, diplomatic and residency visas will not be affected by the new rules. Saudi officials said that multiple-entry visas were being misused. Some passengers used to perform Hajj without proper permission after coming on long-term visas.
Saudi Arabia tightly controls the Hajj pilgrimage and sets a certain number of pilgrims for each country. Despite this, many tourists used to break this limit by using long-term visas, leading to overcrowding in the Hajj. This problem became particularly serious in 2024, when more than 1,200 Hajj pilgrims died due to extreme heat and crowding.
Visa control had become necessary: official
Officials believe that unauthorized Hajj pilgrims have aggravated the crisis, leading to the need to tighten visa controls. By limiting single-entry visas for several countries, the government wants to ensure that only authorized Hajj pilgrims perform Hajj. This will reduce the risks associated with unauthorized Hajj pilgrimage. This decision of Saudi Arabia may affect travelers from many countries, including India.
Related Articles:-
Metro Fare Hike: Rapid Metro fare will increase, know how expensive the journey will be
Hajj Pilgrim Alert! Saudi Arabia Ban on children’s Hajj pilgrimage, Details Here
