Saudi Arabia drops maximum age limit for Umrah pilgrims

Riyadh: Saudi authorities have dropped an age limit on overseas Muslims performing Umrah or lesser pilgrimage.

According to details, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has lifted the maximum age limit of 50 years for overseas pilgrims performing Umrah.

However, the pilgrims will still be required to produce Covid-19 vaccination certificates.

According to the new rule, the ministry has scrapped the maximum age limit of 50 years as a prerequisite for pilgrims coming to perform Umrah from outside Saudi Arabia.

The elderly foreign pilgrims can perform Umrah in line with the precautionary measures and preventive protocols to control the spread of coronavirus.

However, Muslim foreigners under 18 of age are still not allowed to perform Umrah.

For the domestic pilgrims, the Kingdom has allowed the fully vaccinated people aged 12 and above to perform Umrah.

Under the new regulations, the elderly foreign pilgrims can come to perform Umrah and that is in line with the precautionary measures and preventive protocols to stem the spread of coronavirus.

Foreign pilgrims under the age of 18 will not be allowed to perform Umrah. As for domestic pilgrims, all those aged 12 years and above will be granted permits for Umrah and prayer at the Two Holy Mosques provided that they received two doses of vaccination against coronavirus

Earlier on Thursday, the Saudi government has also issued the new directives to allow Pakistani travelers to directly enter Saudi Arabia from December 1. The travelers are no longer required to spend 14-day quarantine in a third country.

According to the Saudi Gazette, the new directives will also be applicable to travelers from Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Egypt, and India.