Saudi Arabia Opens Access To Umrah Throughout The Year For Residents And Residents In This Area

Illustration of Umrah pilgrims at the Grand Mosque. (Wikimedia Commons/Qibla-direction)

JAKARTA - Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced that residents and residents in Gulf countries can now perform Umrah at any time throughout the year.

The decision allows citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) which includes the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, to enter the kingdom at any time to carry out Umrah services, provided they apply for permits through the official Nusuk application.

Gulf residents are eligible to perform Umrah using several types of visas, including Umrah visas available via Nusuk, transit visas issued through partnerships with Saudia Airlines and Flynas, and tourist visas that can be obtained through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' official portal, quoted from The National News July 2.

To access holy places in Saudi Arabia, all pilgrims, both citizens and residents, must obtain permission first through the Nusuk application to perform Umrah and prayers at Rawdah Al Sharifah at the Prophet's Mosque, Medina, quoted from The Economic Times.

The announcement marks easing restrictions and is in line with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to increase the role of the kingdom as a center of religion and culture, as well as diversify its economy outside of fossil fuels.

The measures were taken just weeks after the kingdom continued its issuance of international Umrah visas, following the end of this year's hajj.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said on Monday more than 190,000 Umrah visas had been issued for pilgrims from outside the Kingdom since the start of the Umrah season, the official Saudi Press Agency news agency reported.

The ministry continued the issuance of Umrah visas for international pilgrims on June 10 and began issuing the Nusuk Umrah permit the following day, June 11.

It is known that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a political and economic cooperation organization consisting of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. This was founded in 1981 to increase cooperation among its member countries in various fields, including economics, security, culture and social issues.