Share your thoughts with our readers: Email your contribution, no less than 300 words, to [email protected]
Saudi Arabia is the country that has the world's most sacred places. Every Muslim dreams to visit these holy places at least once in a lifetime. The Kingdom's government has always been seriously concerned about the safety, comfort and care of every pilgrim traveling to Makkah and Madinah. With regard to visas for pilgrims, the Saudi government provides free visas for Umrah throughout the year, i.e., no charges are collected for stamping an Umrah visa in a pilgrim's passport at any Saudi embassy in the world. But a serious concern is that for getting the free Umrah visa stamped in your passport, you need to contact a travel agency which is registered with the Saudi embassy in your country. The travel agency in turn demands money for having the visa stamped in your passport. I recently applied for an Umrah visa for a friend of mine and upon contacting a travel agency in New Delhi, the travel agent demanded 8,000 rupees for an Umrah visa. It is astonishing that after paying such an amount to a travel agent, you get an Umrah visa stamped in your passport on which in large letters you see printed “FREE VISA”. Many countries have introduced E-visas for issuing visas without the involvement of a third party. How much better it would be if we could apply for an Umrah visa online and receive it online without any hassle. That would truly be a “Free Visa” and a dream come true for millions.
