New visa scheme causes confusion for thousands of western pilgrims bound for hajj

Muslims from Europe, the Americas, Australia and New Zealand who are travelling for the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca for the first time since 2019 have to scramble to make new arrangements after the Saudi government introduced a new visa scheme just weeks before it begins.

Early this month, the Saudi ministry in charge decreed that Muslims from these regions would have to apply for visas through the government’s Motawif website to enter a lottery which decides who will attend. Candidates are also limited by quotas for each country based on the numbers of Muslims living there.

The annual hajj, which takes place between July 7th and 12th this year, is the world’s largest multinational pilgrimage but attendance has been restricted to one million, 85 per cent of whom will be foreigners, due to lingering concerns over Covid-19. Before the pandemic restricted the pilgrimage to 1,000 residing in Saudi Arabia in 2020 and a few thousand in 2021, 2.7 million participated, the majority from abroad.

The abrupt change of policy has created consternation and confusion among prospective pilgrims who had obtained visas, booked with local tour firms and paid for the hajj, known as the “sacred journey”. Many will be excluded although they have saved for years to perform the pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam which able-bodied, devout Muslims should attend once in their lives.

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Western applicants must be under 65 years of age and have not participated in the hajj for five years. They must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and secure a negative PCR test before embarking on the trip. They must apply for silver, gold and platinum packages covering flights, luxury accommodation, transportation and camping at religious sites. Packages are priced at $5,986 (€5,700), $6,296 and $9,768, respectively, which are similar to charges from tour operators for similar levels of service although pilgrims from third-world countries pay far less.

The Motawif online portal issues e-visas and takes payment. The arrival of westerners is scheduled for June 26th, giving them a short time to make arrangements.

In Muslim-majority countries the system of selection varies. In some, governments decide on candidates and local tour operators make arrangements. Some prioritise Muslims who have not made the pilgrimage, many of whom have been waiting for years for a visa. As with the westerners, Saudi participants were chosen by lottery. Indonesia, Pakistan and India, the most populous Muslim countries, have the highest quotas.

Muslims believe that hajj rituals originated with the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) when he was commanded by God to sacrifice a sheep rather than his son and were reconsecrated by the Prophet Muhammad in 632, shortly before his death. In normal times Saudi Arabia earned $8 billion a year from the hajj.