Saudi Arabia has issued 23m umrah permits since February

Dubai: More than 23 million umrah permits have been issued by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in late Feruary, spokesperson of the Hajj and Umrah services Eng. Hisham Al Saeed said.

According to Al Saeed, a total of 56 countries have benefited from the issuing of umrah permits, in addition to many citizens, residents and visitors coming from outside the Kingdom.

Slots are still available for people wishing to book umrah trips, Al Saeed said, adding that the number of people wishing to perform Umrah is huge, especially after King Salman's announcement to allow full capacity at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.

Al Saeed welcomed the pilgrims as he said, “We are ready for any number”.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah had earlier enabled holders of all types of visas to book appointments to perform umrah before entering the Kingdom through Eatamarna app.

Those wishing to perform umrah must get a visa to enter the Kingdom, the ministry said, stressing the importance of ensuring its validity period when registering and booking on the Eatamarna app.

The umrah permit would be automatically cancelled if the person has been infected with the COVID-19 or had been in contact with an infected person, and if the visa holder does not enter Saudi Arabia 6 hours before the date he is booked to perform umrah.