Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah revealed that the mandatory interval of 10 days between the issuance of two Umrah permits is applicable to pilgrims of all age groups, including foreign pilgrims.

“Foreign pilgrims can perform maximum three Umrahs during their 30-day stay in the Kingdom. A pilgrim, who obtained a permit to perform Umrah, can book an appointment for a second Umrah through the Eatmarna or Tawakkalna applications at the end of the specified 10-day period after the performance of the first Umrah,” the ministry said in a statement.

According to the earlier regulations issued by the ministry, all pilgrims at the age of 12 and above from within the Kingdom and abroad and have an immune health status on their Tawakkalna application after completing vaccines against coronavirus would be allowed to perform Umrah and prayer at the Grand Mosque.

The ministry noted that there is no option on Eatmarna or Tawakkalna applications to change the date of a permit issued. The only way is to cancel the permit and re-issue the permit. Cancelation can be made at any time before four hours of the time slot given for performance of Umrah in the permit.

The ministry clarified that if the permit is canceled after the time of the permit to perform the ritual has entered, the pilgrim will be able to reserve a new permit only after 10 days.

The ministry attributed the 10-day restriction to the recent re-imposition of the coronavirus health precautionary measures and preventive protocols such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing at the Two Holy Mosques following a surge in coronavirus cases, especially the new mutated Omicron variant in the Kingdom.

It is noteworthy that the ministry had earlier imposed a gap of 15 days between the performances of two Umrah pilgrimages but canceled it later in October 2021. Later, it introduced 10-day interval between two Umrahs.