The Saudi Ministry of Hajj & Umrah has issued a circular on Massar stating pilgrims in countries with Biometric enrollment centers must consider completing the mandatory biometric registration locally.
Registering biometric information before arriving at the entry ports of Saudi Arabia is recommended to save waiting time at the airports and to facilitate a smooth entrance to that country.
Recently, Saudi Arabia reported that hundreds of visitors to the country were rejected an entry and sent back from the airport due to not following the correct visa procedures.
To avoid such unfortunate incidents, pilgrims must apply the right category of visa through the travel agents registered with the country’s Hajj and Umrah Committees, the Ministry said in a statement.
It added: “It is important to note that the newly introduced tourist e-visa cannot be used to enter the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj or Umrah.
“It only allows tourist to attend concerts and sporting events happening in the Kingdom. Without the right visa and documentations, pilgrims will encounter fines and/or deportation to the home country.”