- Fuad Hasan/Maktour
VIVA – The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia has announced the start of the Umrah season by starting issue electronic visas. This allows Umrah and worshipers to start arriving in the Kingdom on the first day of Muharram - July 19.
This also aims to improve the quality of umrah services to realize Saudi Vision 2030, which is the Saudi government's program to diversify economic sectors and develop public services.
Prospective pilgrims who wish to obtain an e-visa to perform umrah starting July 19 can apply through Nusuk, the ministry's online hajj and umrah planning and reservation platform. The page can be accessed through https://www.nusuk.sa/.
The Nusuk platform also facilitates Muslims from around the world to visit Mecca and Medina by providing lodging options and transportation services.
Ilustrasi visa.
- Freepik/kstudio
A wide selection of Umrah travel packages and interactive maps of the two cities are also available in several languages on the platform.
The Saudi government has enacted several new Umrah-related policies, including a 63 percent reduction in pilgrims' insurance fees, issuance of visas in less than 24 hours, and extension of visa validity to 90 days.
In addition, women are now allowed to perform Umrah without their mahrams. Umrah pilgrims are also allowed to visit various sites other than places of worship to get to know the rich culture of the Middle Eastern country.
Earlier, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced that in cooperation with relevant authorities, tourist visa holders from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states as well as Schengen visa holders can make umrah service reservations and apply for electronic visas through Nusuk.
The GCC member states consist of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Meanwhile, Schengen visas are owned by residents of countries included in the Schengen area, namely Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
According to the Nusuk platform's visa registration page accessed on Wednesday, this e-visa service has also been extended to several other countries, such as the United States, Australia, China, Japan, Canada, Malaysia, Russia, and Singapore.
Unfortunately, Indonesia is not yet one of the countries that can enjoy this service through the Nusuk platform.
Prospective pilgrims from countries that cannot use e-visa services can still obtain Umrah visas through the embassies or consulates of Saudi Arabia in their respective countries as well as Umrah package service providers that can be selected through Nusuk.
