RIYADH — Saudis and expatriates who provide any help to Umrah visa overstayers will be jailed for six months, fined SR100,000 and deported in the case of expatriates, the Directorate General of Passports (Jawazat) has warned. In a statement issued on Monday, the directorate urged all Umrah pilgrims to leave the Kingdom before the expiry of their visas. "If any one of them overstayed their visas, they will be jailed for six months and fined SR50,000," the Saudi Press Agency reported. The Jawazat called on Saudis and expatriates not to provide transportation or job or shelter or cover up or any other help so as to enable any Umrah pilgrim to overstay his or her visa. The penalties for this will be multiplied with the number of illegal pilgrims whom they helped. The directorate urged Umrah service providing companies and establishments to inform the concerned agencies about the delay in the departure of any pilgrim who came through them. Failure to do so will result in fines amounting to SR100,000 for each illegal pilgrim. It also warned owners of firms not to employ any Umrah overstayer. If any firm violated the regulation, it will be fined SR100,000, a five-year recruitment ban will be imposed, it will be named and shamed, its manager concerned will be jailed for one year jail and deported if he is an expatriate.
