Saudi Hajj Ministry: Available Vacancies, Registration to Continue Till Their Booked

Muslim pilgrims wearing face masks and keeping social distance perform Tawaf around Kaaba during the annual Hajj pilgrimage amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia July 31, 2020. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS
Muslim pilgrims wearing face masks and keeping social distance perform Tawaf around Kaaba during the annual Hajj pilgrimage amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia July 31, 2020. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS
TT

Saudi Hajj Ministry: Available Vacancies, Registration to Continue Till Their Booked

Muslim pilgrims wearing face masks and keeping social distance perform Tawaf around Kaaba during the annual Hajj pilgrimage amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia July 31, 2020. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS
Muslim pilgrims wearing face masks and keeping social distance perform Tawaf around Kaaba during the annual Hajj pilgrimage amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia July 31, 2020. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS

Vacant seats are available for an estimated 150,000 pilgrims residing within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, revealed Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Spokesman Hisham Saeed.

He added that the ministry allowed registration for the vacancies through concerned companies.

However, Saeed noted that the process of verifying the controls is ultimately done via e-track.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Saeed warned that the availability of Hajj vacancies is much lower than what is being advertised in the media.

He also explained that the vacancies are a product of personal complications that may be facing prospective pilgrims who were registered earlier.

Saeed reminded that the ministry did not dispense with any of the previously announced conditions and regulations for accepting the requests of registered pilgrims residing within Saudi Arabia.

He affirmed that registrations would keep getting vetted via e-track until all vacancies are filled.

In other news, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday that it will secure alternative flights and provide additional seats for pilgrims coming from Britain, the US, and Europe.

In cooperation with relevant authorities, visas will also be “issued immediately to the pilgrims entering the Kingdom as part of the efforts”.

This comes after people faced technical issues while applying for hajj via a new electronic portal called Motawif and had several issues including no access to the limited seats on flights.



King Salman Orders One-Year Extension of the Citizen Account Program

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (SPA)
TT

King Salman Orders One-Year Extension of the Citizen Account Program

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (SPA)

Upon the recommendation of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered on Monday that the Citizen Account Program be extended, in its current framework, until the end of 2025.

The directive also includes a one-year extension of the additional support to the program’s beneficiaries, as well as the continuation of the program’s registration process.

The royal directive reflects the Saudi leadership’s keenness on citizens. The additional support to the program’s beneficiaries was already extended under a royal directive in July 2022.