Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah announced on Thursday the launching of an electronic service to apply for Umrah visa for individual Umrah pilgrims from outside Saudi Arabia. “The visit visa for Umrah will be issued now within 24 hours.
Applications for Umrah visas can be submitted from outside Saudi Arabia, away from Umrah campaigns,” he said.
Al-Rabiah said the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 aims to facilitate the reception of Umrah pilgrims in larger numbers.
The minister said one million people will perform Hajj this year. The pilgrims include 850,000 (85 percent) foreign pilgrims and 150,000 (15 percent) domestic pilgrims.
He said the ministry and other related agencies are working to ensure the health of Hajj pilgrims.
“The Hajj smart card will be implemented this year,” he said while noting that digital technologies would help organize this year's Hajj in the perfect manner.
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Saudi, Qatari foreign ministers discuss cooperation
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discussed on Wednesday ways to support and enhance deep-rooted relations and cooperation to serve the two nations’ interests and achieve more stability and prosperity for their and peoples.
They also discussed ways to support all means that contribute to the stability of the region and keeping international peace and security. They explored the opportunities to enhance bilateral coordination in political, security and economic fields.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 152nd session of the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The ministers also exchanged views on the latest regional and international developments.
The ministerial council was held on Wednesday in Riyadh, where Prince Faisal said the Gulf nations stand united on the issue of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.