- 1,800 foreign Umrah travel agencies have been suspended from issuing new visas.
- Agencies have 10 days to rectify classification and service deficiencies.
- Pilgrims with existing visas and reservations remain unaffected.
Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia has terminated contracts with 1,800 foreign travel agencies operating in the Umrah sector.
The decision, affecting nearly one-third of the approximately 5,800 licensed foreign operators, follows a periodic evaluation that identified performance shortcomings and substandard service quality.
The suspension applies specifically to the agencies’ ability to issue new Umrah visas.
The Ministry stated the measure is a regulatory step designed to help the firms address classification issues and improve compliance with approved service standards.
Contracts will be reinstated once the agencies meet all requirements within a 10-day grace period.
Ministry officials emphasized that Umrah performers already holding valid visas or with confirmed bookings through the suspended agencies will not be impacted, and their services will continue without interruption.
The action targets only new visa processing.
The Ministry’s spokesperson, Ghassan Alnwaimi, stated that regulatory measures will be applied against any agency that fails to correct its deficiencies by the deadline.
He added that the Ministry will continue using monitoring and evaluation tools to enhance the sector’s reliability and protect pilgrims’ rights.
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