Manama: Qatar-based Muslims planning to perform Haj this year must submit an online application of their trip.
The online registration with the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs will commence on Sunday and applicants should log onto the website www.hajj.gov.qa to register their details.
Quoting Ali Bin Mubarak Al Fihami, Acting Director of Haj and Umrah at the Ministry, Qatar News Agency (QNA) explained that the registration process will close on September 8.
"Applicants need not register with Haj operators this year (1431 Hijri). They can instead register with us online," Al Fihami said. "Once the list of successful applicants is issued, they can then choose their Haj operator."
The move breaks with the earlier ministerial practice of designating Haj operators for would-be pilgrims. It now allows them to choose their own operators and sign contracts with them.
No foreigner is allowed to go to Haj without an operator approved by the ministry.
According to the conditions, applicants submitting requests to go for Haj should have been based in Qatar for at least three years and must not have performed Haj in the past five years.
They must hold a valid residency permit issued by Qatar to be able to apply for a Saudi visa. They must also submit either a no-objection certificate from their sponsor or a leave certificate. Women accompanying men must submit proof of their relationship, the ministry said.
Chip cards will, for the first time, be given to would-be pilgrims as part of a tracking system.
Pilgrims will not be able to cross security checkpoints in Saudi Arabia without them.
