Hajj
Requirements: (Updated Annually)
The Consular Section of the Royal Embassy
of Saudi Arabia in Washington DC has the honor to inform all Pilgrims
that all Hajj visas are granted gratis. Hajj visas are not valid for
work or residency.
Hajj visas will not be issued to individuals who have performed Hajj in
the last five years.
You can also find additional information in the Guide to
Hajj (in 8 languages)
Each applicant for a Hajj visa must apply through a licensed U.S. travel agency, which must present the Consulate
with copies of “Accommodation Contacts” and a letter from the Ministry of
Hajj in Saudi Arabia confirming that the travel agency has duly
completed all requirements to qualify to assist pilgrims.
All agencies handling Hajj visa applications are required to fill out
and sign a contract issued by the Ministry of Hajj before submitting
the passports to the Embassy for Hajj visas. The contract details the
rights and obligations of the agency and the pilgrim. The agency is to
keep a copy of the signed contract for their records in case the Embassy needs
to refer to it at any time. The signed contract is a pre-requisite for
obtaining a Hajj visa, and failure to obtain it or breaching any of its terms
will be regarded as fraud against the pilgrim and will result in withdrawing
the privilege of the agency to handle Hajj visas. Service
Contract Between the Hajj and Organizers of International Hajjis
Learn more about the contact
information for authorities in Saudi Arabia that deal with complaints
from Pilgrims and Umrah performers.
Applications for Hajj visa will
not be considered if the following requirements are not met:
- The applicant must have a passport with a
validity of at least six (6) months and acceptable both for entry to Saudi
Arabia and entry to the next destination; the passport should have at
least two empty visa pages adjacent to each other.
- Each applicant must submit one (1) recent passport
size color photograph with a white background. The photograph must be a
full-face view in which the visa applicant is facing the camera directly.
Side or angled views are NOT accepted.
- A completed application form filled-out with
black ink or printed; the form must be signed and stamped by the
authorized travel agency.
- The Mahram should write his complete information on
the application forms of his spouse and children or any relative with whom
he is traveling. He should also provide copies of marriage or birth
certificates; if these documents were issued outside the US, he should
then provide copies translated and notarized by a certified translation
office.
- All women are required to travel for Hajj with a
Mahram. Proof of kinship must be submitted with the application form.
Women over the age of forty-five (45) may travel without a Mahram with an
organized group, They must, however submits a no objection letter
from her husband, son or brother authorizing her to travel for Hajj
with the named group. This letter should be notarized.
- The applicant must be in possession of a
non-refundable roundtrip ticket with confirmed reservations.
- The applicant must submit proof of vaccination for
meningitis and ACYW135. For infants and children up to fifteen (15) years
of age, a vaccination report is required for polio as well as meningitis
and polio. Children over fifteen (15) years of age should present the same
vaccinations requested for adults.
a. meningitis and
ACYW135.
b. The seasonal (or
common) flu, which should be taken two weeks before applying for the visa.
c. The H1N1 flu, if a
vaccine is made available before Hajj season, and should be taken two
weeks before
applying for the visa.
d. Infants and children up
to fifteen (15) years of age should provide a vaccination report for
meningococcal and polio.
e. Children above fifteen
(15) years of age should present the same vaccinations requested for
adults.
f. Health experts
advise the following groups to postpone their plans for Hajj and Omrah
this year for their
own
safety: The elderly, the terminally ill, pregnant women, and
children.
- Each pilgrim should submit two certified checks or
cashier checks payable to "Unified Agents Office" in Jeddah for
pilgrimage services. These checks should include the name and the passport
number of the pilgrim. Each applicant must pay the following fees:
(a) US $158.40 (one hundred fifty-eight dollars & forty
cents) for services rendered by the local Tawaf agencies and for housing
at the Holy sites.
(b) US $116.00 (one hundred sixteen dollars) for air-conditioned
transportation services.
Pilgrims have the option to submit one check combining both fees: in this
case, the amount would be US $274.40 (two hundred seventy-four
dollars & forty cents).
Children between the ages of seven (7) and fifteen (15) should only pay
half of the above-mentioned amount.
Children under the age of seven (7) do not need to pay.
- Non-U.S. citizens should submit a copy of their green
card or othert proof of legal residence status in the US. Passport
authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reserve the right to return (at
his or her own expense) any pilgrim who has provided wrong or false
information about their residence in the US at his or her expense.
- No minor (under 18 years of age) will be granted
a Hajj visa if not accompanied by his family.
Minors travelling one parent must submit a notrized letter of
authorization, in either in Arabic or English, signed by both parents or
legal guardians.
- If the applicant has converted to Islam, an Islamic
certificate must be presented; this needs to be notarized by an Islamic
Center.
General Guidelines:
- Travelers must carry vaccination certificates with
them for inspection by the Saudi Authority at port of entry.
- No food products are allowed into the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia.
- The last day to enter King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah
for the purpose of Hajj is 4 Dhu Al-Hijjah of each year.
- Upon arrival, pilgrims shall hand their passports to
the "Unified Agents Office" representatives to enable the latter
to complete all travel formalities to Makkah and Madinah.
- In the event that pilgrims lose their passport, they
should immediately report the loss to the same office appointed to take
care of them during Hajj. Applicants must obtain a report from the office
of the Unified Agents in which the loss of passport is mentioned.
- If pilgrims should lose their passport, they should
immediately report the loss to the same office appointed to take care of
them during Hajj. Applicantsmust obtain a report from the office of the
Unified Agents in wihc the loss of the passport is mentiond.
- All pilgrims must leave the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
after Hajj no later than the 10th of Muharram of each year. The rules and
regulations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia forbid any pilgrims from
staying in the country after the completion of Hajj.
Hajj Baggage Allowance
Regulations:
- The Ministry of Hajj would like to stress the
important to adhere to the baggage restrictions on all pilgrims arriving
and departing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:
- Maximum baggage weight: 32 kg [70lbs]
- Maximum size: 56x45x25cm [20x17.7x9.8in].
- Excess baggage must be shipped. Authorized Hajj
cargo service centers have been established in Makkah and at King
Abdulaziz International Airport support services area.
General Guidelines for travel
Agencies:
- Travel agents must provide the consulate with
Residence, Tawaf, and transportation contracts. They also must provide the
unified contract that verifies the general services provided to pilgrims.
This contact must include the name of the organizer, the code given to
them by the Ministry of Hajj, and the number of visas they are allowed to
get. They also must provide the consulate with a letter from the Ministry
of Hajj office in Makkah. All these documents should arrive at the
consulate before hajj visas are issued.
- Passports will be returned if the information
submitted is not compatible with the information sent electronically by
the Ministry of Hajj. The Embassy reserves the right to inform the
Ministry of Hajj about travel agencies that submit inaccurate or
incomplete information.
- Travel agencies should affix on each passport a
sticker showing the agency’s name, address and telephone number.
- In the case that a travel agency wishes to
submit any question or complaints to the Ministry of Hajj, they may do so
through the company or agency they deal with in Saudi Arabia or through
the official routes in their country.
- Pilgrims exchange establishments are urged to declare
all currencies in their possession and to exchange currencies only through
authorized currency exchange establishments.
Notice:
Visitors of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
shall abide by the country’s Islamic laws and regulations and respect its society’s
values and traditions. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia anti-drug trafficking
laws are strictly enforced. Violators are subject to severe punishment,
which may include the death penalty. Sectarian, political or religious
gatherings are forbidden.
The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in
Washington, DC
takes this opportunity to wish all pilgrims a happy Hajj and a safe return.
