Saudi Arabia opens Umrah pilgrimage to vaccinated foreigners | Al Jazeera

Saudi Arabia says it will begin receiving Umrah pilgrimage requests from vaccinated foreign worshippers starting on August 9.

The announcement on state media early on Sunday came about 18 months after the kingdom closed its borders to foreign pilgrims due to the coronavirus pandemic.


The Saudi Press Agency said authorities in the ministry that coordinates foreign pilgrims will from Monday begin “receiving Umrah requests from various countries of the world”.

Permits will initially be granted to 60,000 Umrah pilgrims per month, but that number will gradually be increased to two million per month, the report said.

Overseas pilgrims will have to include authorised COVID-19 vaccination certificates along with their Umrah request, it said.

Vaccinated pilgrims from countries on Saudi Arabia’s no entry list will be subject to institutional quarantine upon arrival, it added.

The Umrah is a pilgrimage to Islam’s two holiest sites in the cities of Mecca and Medina and can be undertaken at any time of the year. It is distinct from the Hajj, which takes place once annually.