Ambassador warns against Haj visa abusers

Manama: Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Kuwait said that Haj visas were free and that his embassy does not charge any fees for their issuance.

“We have noted that some Haj operators ask applicants for money as fees for Haj visas,” Abdul Aziz Al Fayez said. “This is highly unethical, a rip-off and an exploitation of a Muslim keen on performing Haj. The embassy does not ask for fees when it issues the Haj visa,” he told the Kuwaiti media as he highlighted his country’s preparations for the Haj season next month.

People with evidence that operators are asking for Haj visa payments should contact the Saudi embassy to report the abuse, the diplomat said.

Non Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nationals are required to have a visa before they can enter the Saudi kingdom. The application is usually presented by the Haj operator taking the group of foreigners to Makkah.

“No one, Kuwaiti or foreigner, is allowed to perform Haj without being registered with an accredited tour operator,” Al Fayez said.

Several illegal Haj organisers have been luring foreigners by promising them a complete Haj travel package often for less than half the price charged by the licensed operators.

However, most of those who took up the offers complained on their return home of huge difficulties with the Saudi authorities, substandard services and awful accommodation and travel conditions.

Saudi Arabia has adopted stringent rules for Haj to ensure there are no abuses or exploitation and sets a quota for each country to keep the number of people who congregate in the same place for days under control. Around three million people perform Haj every year.

“We also stress that those who receive transit or visit visas should use them only for that purpose. There are people who take the transit or visit visas and use them to enter the kingdom and stay until the Haj season. They of course break the rules and disrupt the normal procedures. Besides, people cannot claim to perform Haj based on lies. They need to sign up with an accredited Haj operator,” the ambassador said.

Large numbers of Kuwait-based foreigners have received transit visas but used them to overstay their validity and performed Haj not with an accredited operator, he said.

“When they went back home, they were stopped at the Saudi Arabia-Kuwait borders and made to pay fines. They have been barred from re-entering Saudi Arabia for some time,” he said.

Al Fayez said that the embassy will start issuing the Haj visas for this year “within two to three weeks”.

“We are keen on processing the applications smoothly and there will be no delay as long as the requests fulfil the requirements,” he said.

The final figure for the number of Kuwaitis and Kuwait-based foreigners who can perform Haj this year will be announced soon, the ambassador said.

The Haj season this year during which physically and financially able adult Muslims gather in Makkah to ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness is expected to be from October 24 – 29, depending on the lunar calendar.