Saudi Arabia to Host 1,000 Umrah Guests from 16 Nations

Saudi Arabia has approved hosting 1,000 male and female Umrah performers from 16 countries at the personal expense of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, under the Guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Program for Hajj, Umrah and Visit. The initiative is fully free for invited guests, with the royal program budget covering all costs.

A first batch of 250 Umrah performers will come from 16 Asian countries: Indonesia, East Timor, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mongolia. The full hosting of 1,000 guests will be carried out in four phases.

Guests will be received, transported and housed in Makkah and Madinah under arrangements coordinated by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the General Secretariat of the Guests Program. There are no visa fees, and no accommodation or internal transport charges for those on the official guest list. The standard SAR 300 Umrah visa fee and insurance charges do not apply to program invitees, as they are covered by the state.

Entry is on a special Umrah visa linked to the program, issued through the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's electronic systems and foreign missions. Guests receive Nusuk-linked Umrah and visit permits as part of their organized itinerary and do not apply individually through commercial channels.

There is no open public application portal for this initiative. Nominations are made through Saudi diplomatic missions, religious affairs authorities and Islamic centers in the selected countries, in coordination with the Guests Program's General Secretariat, with invitees contacted directly. Guest Umrah visas under such programs are generally issued with entry validity of up to one month and stays of up to 30–90 days, aligned with the curated schedule.

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