Umrah pilgrims who exceed the April 29 visa deadline will be imprisoned by Saudi Arabia, according to Gulfnews International News
13 April 2025, 11:42
Read for three minutes.
Saudi Arabia has threatened to deport or imprison Umrah pilgrims who break visa regulations and do not depart the country by April 29. The last day for all Umrah pilgrims currently in the Kingdom to depart is April 29, according to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
Staying after this date will be considered a crime and will result in heavy fines, jail time, and deportation.
The move comes amid worries about an increase in attempts by certain pilgrims to overstay their pilgrimage visas, and it is part of broader preparations for this year's Hajj season.
"A red line is security." According to Lieutenant General Mohammed Abdullah Al Bassami, Director of Public Security, "the systems in place are designed to ensure the effectiveness of crowd management plans in collaboration with security, military, and service agencies, as well as to protect the safety and dignity of God's guests."
The significance of maintaining the integrity of pilgrimage laws has been underlined by Saudi authorities on numerous occasions. In addition to putting a strain on security and logistical operations, overstaying or evading visa requirements jeopardises the Kingdom's advanced infrastructure, which is largely dependent on artificial intelligence to control the movement of millions of pilgrims through sacred sites.
Cutting-edge AI-powered crowd control devices track crowd density and guide traffic from Mecca's entrances to the Grand Mosque. These technologies enable real-time action to guarantee safety and avoid bottlenecks.
Officials cautioned that violations including going above national quotas or remaining past allowed dates can jeopardise the ecosystem as a whole.
According to security specialist Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Adel Zamzami, the Kingdom is in the forefront of international pilgrimage logistics because of its adoption of smart city technology.
"Every endeavour is focused on the pilgrim, who is a human being. The accuracy and security of a highly interconnected system are put at risk when people break the rules, he said.
To catch violators, the Saudi Ministry of Interior has already started coordinated field operations around the Kingdom.
More than 18,400 people were arrested by officials for violating labour, residency, and border restrictions between March 27 and April 2. Of them, more than 3,500 were apprehended trying to enter the country illegally, while 12,995 were deemed to have violated residency restrictions.
First-time offenders who overstay risk an automatic deportation and a fine of SAR 15,000 ($4,000), according to legal counsel Ahmad Al Maliki.
Deportation, three months in jail, and a fine of SAR 25,000 could be imposed for a second offence. Repeat offenders risk deportation, six months in jail, and fines of up to SAR 50,000.
Legal repercussions for individuals or organisations that harbour, hire, or transport offenders include fines of up to SAR 100,000, jail time, deportation of foreign accomplices, and the confiscation of cars used in such crimes.
Al Maliki emphasised that there are tiers of penalties for pilgrimage service providers that neglect to inform authorities of delayed departures: SAR 25,000 for a first offence, SAR 50,000 for a second, and SAR 100,000 for repeated infractions.
Lt. Gen. Mohammed Al Bassami, Saudi Arabia's Director of Public Security, emphasised that pilgrims' safety is a religious duty. Any effort to compromise the pilgrimage system's or the holy sites' security will be met with severe consequences.
.jpg)
