RIYADH – The government of Saudi Arabia has announced heave fines for all those foreigners who violate the terms regarding their visa duration.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior warned on Tuesday that foreigners may face fines of up to SR50,000, imprisonment for up to six months, and/or deportation if they fail to leave the kingdom after expiry of their visas.
The authorities have also appealed to citizens and residents to make sure that their guests who arrived on visit or Umrah visas comply with the instructions.
“Visas of all types — with the exception of the Hajj visa — do not entitle their holder to perform the Hajj pilgrimage,” the ministry stated on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
The announcement comes weeks after the interior ministry warned Hajj and Umrah companies and establishments to ensure compliance with the country’s laws and regulations.
The ministry has also warned companies or establishments that delay in reporting individuals overstaying their visa duration to face fines up to SR100,000 for each foreigner.
The government of Saudi Arabia is finalizing arrangements for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. In this regard, the Umrah pilgrims from across the world would leave the kingdom by the end of this week after which the arrival of Hajj pilgrims would start.
The kingdom is set to welcome over 2 million pilgrims for which the arrangements have been finalized. Pakistan was allotted around 179,000 seats this year for Hajj; however, due to the alleged negligence of private tour operators, the country would only be availing around 110,000 seats.
