A new service has been launched to facilitate overseas Umrah pilgrimage, allowing foreign pilgrims to apply via mobile application for Umrah and prayer permits in the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.
“In cooperation with Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced the launch of a new service that allows overseas pilgrims to get permits for Umrah and prayer in the Grand Mosque, as well as for visiting the Prophet’s Mosque through ‘Eatmarna’ and ‘Tawakkalna’ Applications, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said in a statement.
The ministry said that the service will be effective through the applications just after registering on the Saudi “Quddum” platform.
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It also urged all users of Eatmarna and Tawakkalna applications to take the initiative and update the two applications on their mobiles.
Earlier in October, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said that pilgrims wishing to perform Umrah will no longer be required to wait for 14 days to book for the ritual.
Coming amid a series of procedures to ease coronavirus preventive measures, the decision is expected to increase the operational capacity of the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah.
“In line with the developments at this stage, which in turn increased the demand in the dates available to perform Umrah, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah made this feature available for pilgrims,” Dr. Amr Al-Maddah, the chief of planning and strategy officer at the ministry, said in an interview with Arab News.
“This condition is no longer necessary and will achieve a fair opportunity for all due to the high demand,” he said.
Saudi Arabia stopped the Umrah following the pandemic but reopened it to immunized domestic worshippers in October last year.
In August, the Kingdom announced it will begin accepting vaccinated foreigners wanting to make the Umrah pilgrimage.