A member of the General Assembly of the Egyptian Travel Agents Associations Basil al-Sisi announced that following the large number of heatwave induced deaths this Hajj season, one category of the Umrah visas has now been suspended.
Sisi told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Friday that the B2C visa has now been suspended, originally booked through the electronic Umrah portal of Saudi Arabia.
Temporary suspension
Sisi stressed that the decision to stop the B2C visa does not mean that there are no more visas for Umrah, but it means that this type of visa will not be issued at the present time.
He assured that the suspension is temporary until there is an agent for the country from which the visa is issued for the purpose of organizing travel.
Sisi explained that the 2024 Hajj season crisis is a result of the issuance of unregulated visas, and was a reason for stopping the B2C Umrah visa.
He continued: “B2C visa allows its holder to enter the system, obtain the visa, and travel without a trip organizer, which is unacceptable after the Hajj crisis.”
The Chairman of the Tourism and Civil Aviation Committee in the House of Representatives, Noura Ali, said that scammers have taken advantage of citizens and urged them to perform Hajj on a visit visa, which has placed them in difficult circumstances resulting in a number of deaths.
What is the B2C Umrah visa?
A type of electronic visa for Umrah, created for those wishing to perform Umrah from outside Saudi Arabia without the need for an external agent, that is, by dealing directly with the Saudi agent without the intervention of anyone from outside the Saudi Arabia (without an intermediary).
The B2C visa is available to all countries.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
