Manama: Foreigners who have lived in Qatar for less than three years will not be allowed to perform Haj (pilgrimage), under a set of rules issued by the endowments and Islamic affairs ministry.
New guidelines
The new criteria also rules out expatriates who had performed Haj in the past five years and expatriate children under the age of 12, while women aged below 45 years can go for Haj only in the company of a male blood relative.
The guidelines for this years' Haj were issued, as the online registration for aspiring pilgrims was launched on Saturday, Qatari daily The Peninsula reported.
Registration for expatriates will close on August 10 and for nationals on October 13, and the authorities overseeing the Haj and Umrah have urged all nationals and expatriates to abide by the rules and regulations related to the online registration.
Applications who fail to fulfil the required conditions will be rejected, the Haj department warned.
The process
Under the process, each aspiring pilgrim will get a number that will be used as the reference and for identification throughout the pilgrimage.
Once the online application is successfully completed, the applicant will receive a text message from the Department of Haj and Umrah Department. A second text message will be sent if the applicant is selected for the pilgrimage.
Expatriates are required to complete a set of related procedures within a specific timeframe after they receive the second text message. The applicants have the option of choosing their Haj operator. Under Saudi laws, foreigners have to be registered with a Haj operator to be allowed into the country.
Once all the procedures are completed successfully, the aspiring pilgrims will get a third text message that specifies the identification number.
Formalities are simpler for Qataris who have also been given more time to complete the procedures.
