The Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced that visitors entering the country with visitation visas will not be permitted to enter Makkah, the sacred city, during the Haj season.
The ministry said in a statement that the prohibition would be in effect from May 23 to June 21.
The Saudi Press Agency reports that foreign visitors to Saudi Arabia on visitation visas have been asked not to visit Makkah during the allotted time.
The ministry issued a warning to anyone planning to perform the Haj in Makkah, saying that visit visas do not authorize the performance of the Haj.
According to the Saudi Gazette, which cited the agency of Haj and Umrah, the agency has also halted providing Umrah licenses using the Nusuk app, an online gateway for permissions to carry out the rituals.
Saudi officials have threatened violators with harsh penalties and large fines.
“Severe and permanent sanctions will be imposed for breaking Haj regulations. Anyone found in Makkah and the holy sites without a Haj permit faces a punishment of SR10,000 ($2,666), which applies to both natives and visitors. Repeat offenders will pay twice the fee, and residents who violate the law might be deported and prohibited from visiting Saudi Arabia, according to a statement released by the ministry earlier this week and published on X.
According to the Saudi Gazette, those found in certain areas of Makkah without a valid Haj permit will face penalties. These areas include the city itself, the central Haram area, the holy sites of Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah, the Haramain train station in Russeifa, security control centers, pilgrims’ grouping centers, and temporary security control centers.
Without a valid Haj permit, anyone found carrying pilgrims in Makkah faces a fine of 50,000 Saudi riyals and a maximum six-month jail sentence.
