Saudi Arabia announced visa issuance within 48 hours, 96-hour stopover visa for Indian citizens undertaking Hajj

A number of initiatives, including the issuing of 48-hour visas and 96-hour stopover visas, were announced by Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, which is a huge boost for Indian people travelling for Hajj. Furthermore, Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, the visiting Saudi Arabian Minister of Hajj and Umrah, said in New Delhi that Indian nationals can now conduct Umrah on business, tourism, and umrah visas.

The Indian Umrah pilgrimage has increased dramatically, with over 1.2 million pilgrims expected by 2023, according to the Saudi government. In order to accommodate the growing number of Indian pilgrims, he added, the two nations are currently in talks to expand the choices for direct flights.

During Al-Rabiah's visit, the Hajj Committee of India hopes to talk about raising the country's Hajj pilgrimage quota. About 1,75,000 Indians went to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, under the 2023 Hajj quota. Since the Hajj pilgrimage is a significant part of the bilateral relationship between Saudi Arabia and India, the visit will help set the path for the Hajj 2024 more effectively and seamlessly, according to Muraleedharan.

According to the Saudi Embassy in New Delhi, Al-Rabiah started his formal tour to India on Monday with the goal of "strengthening collaboration and streamlining the Umrah journey for international pilgrims."

The trip to India is "an important part" in a series of worldwide trips meant to demonstrate the Kingdom's dedication to helping Umrah pilgrims from all over the world, as per the Embassy statement. The embassy further stated that Al-Rabiah will have high-level talks with Indian officials and notable individuals in the Hajj and Umrah service industry.