The General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) urged all foreign Haj pilgrims to leave the Kingdom before the expiry of their visas. It warned that pilgrims who overstay the visas or those who help them overstay in the Kingdom will face stringent punitive measures. "No Haj pilgrim is allowed to move outside of Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah or engage in work in any parts of the Kingdom. Those pilgrims who overstay their visas will be fined up to SR50,000 and jailed for maximum six months plus deportation," the directorate said in a statement on Wednesday carried by the Saudi Press Agency. The directorate also warned Saudi citizens and expatriates against giving any kind of help and support to overstayers. "Those who support overstayers by giving them transportation, jobs, shelter or cover up will have to pay up to SR100,000 in fine, face a maximum jail term of six months and deportation for expatriates. These penalties will be doubled with the number of violations." The directorate urged all the Haj service providing companies and establishments to inform it in the event of the delay in the departure of any pilgrims. "If they failed to do so, they will be fined up to SR100,000. If any firm hired overstayers, it will be fined SR100,000 in addition to a five year recruitment ban, naming and shaming of the firm, and one year jail for the manager of the firm with deportation if he is a foreigner," the statement added. As of Tuesday, around 12,35,456 Haj pilgrims out of a total of 1,325,372 left the Kingdom after performing the annual pilgrimage.
