Saudis to allow women to perform Umrah without a male guardian

Dubai: The Deputy Chairman of the National Committee for Hajj and Umrah Abdullah Al Qadi said that the male guardian requirement for women coming to perform Umrah over the age of 18 years will be abolished. He made the announcement while speaking to ‘Ya hala’ show.

Al Qadi said this will only be cleared for Umrah visa and not for Hajj. 

Al Qadi also said that to obtain a Umrah visa now people can do it easily through Maqam website, instead of approaching travel agents. The visa granted is a 30-day visa.

Also with the new visa rules, Al Qadi said that a person with Umrah visa will be able to tour the Kingdom freely and attend events, unlike before when Umrah visa can only be used to go to Makkah and Madina.

Also, a person on a tourist visa can perform Umrah.

The Deputy Chairman of the National Committee for Hajj and Umrah Abdullah Al Qadi also announced that ‘Host visa’ will be available for issuance in the coming days.

The visa will enable Saudi citizens and residents to host guests from outside of Saudi, on their personal sponsorship for 90 days.