Official Hajj Missions
In order to enable the Official Pilgrimage Missions to ensure their pilgrims comfort and with the intent of accomplishing increased efficiency in the performance of such missions and due to the outcome of the fruitful and mutual cooperation that can be fulfilled between such missions and the Ministry of Pilgrimage Bodies, the Pilgrimage missions should consider the following:
1. In an implementation of the resolutions of the 17th Islamic Conference of the Foreign Ministers of the Islamic countries held in Amman in 1987 regarding the measures organizing and specifying the numbers of pilgrims heading for the Holy Sites, the support that resulted from the conference regarding the measures specifying a certain percentage of the pilgrims to ensure equal opportunities among all pilgrims, performance of their rituals, provision of their comfort means, a rule for such specification was set through specifying a percentage of one person per one thousand of the total population for each country. Therefore, the Pilgrimage Commissions and their governments should abide by such a rule.
2. Compliance with the instructions organizing the Pilgrimage affairs, commitment to the agreed upon minutes of meetings signed by the Minister of Pilgrimage and the Pilgrimage mission head as regards the pilgrims of each mission and its relationship with the bodies working during Pilgrimage while complying with all regulations and rules of the governmental bodies related to the Pilgrimage affairs.
3. An earlier notification to both Ministries of Pilgrimage and Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of the names of the Official Pilgrimage Missions and delegations.
4. Each and every mission should have a known residence in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Jeddah, and the Holy Sites. The Pilgrimage Ministry Branches in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah and Jeddah should be advised by the mission of their residence full addresses, which include the name of the district, street, phone number and the name of the person in charge and his deputy. Those addresses and data should be conveyed by each Pilgrimage Mission to the appropriate National Tawafa Establishment in Makkah Al-Mukarramah and the National Guides Establishment in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah.
5. Observing the scheduling of the air pilgrims arrival so that it covers the whole arrival period, which starts on the first of the 11th month (Dhil-Qi'dah) of each year up to the end of the 4th day of the 12th month (Dhu'l-Hijjah) of the year. As for the land pilgrims, the last date for their entry into the Kingdom will be the end of the 29th day of the 11th month as per Umm Al-Qura calendar. The same applies to the departure scheduling which commences on the 12th day of the 12th month (following the announcement of the Pilgrimage Cleanliness, healthwise) up to the end of the 15th of the 1st month (Muharram) taking into consideration the conditions of the space capabilities of King Abdulaziz International Airport in the Governorate of Jeddah and Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah. The airline companies operating in the transportation of the pilgrims shall be obligated to such dates upon scheduling their flights with the Kingdom's Civil Aviation Bodies for the sake of the pilgrims comfort and to avoid their accumulation in the airport areas.
6. The Bodies that the Pilgrimage Missions may contact are as follows:
A) In Jeddah:
i) The office of His Excellency, the Pilgrimage Minister
ii) Branch of Pilgrimage Ministry
iii) The Unified Agents Office
B) In Makkah Al-Mukarramah:
i) Branch of Pilgrimage Ministry
ii) The appropriate National Tawafa Establishment
C) In Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah
i) Branch of Pilgrimage Ministry
ii) National Guides Establishment
7. Ensuring the efficiency of the pilgrim's air carrier and its capability to transport the pilgrim's majority in the specific times to keep its commitments towards the pilgrims as regards its own fleet of the aircrafts, its ground laborers and the concluded contracts .etc.
8. Coordination with the Unified Agents Office in Jeddah with regard to the receipt of the returns for the services extended by the National Establishments for Hajj Affairs, transportation fees, and striving to organize the travel of the pilgrims to Makkah Al-Mukarramah or Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah.
9. Coordination with the National Establishments for Hajj Affairs relating to pilgrims reception, organizing their accommodation affairs in Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Holy Sites, and their transfer to the holy sites or Jeddah or Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah.
10. The mission should abide by distributing pilgrims onto accommodations and rooms and separating men from women who do not have unmarriageable persons.
11. Coordination with the National Guides Establishment in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah as regards the reception and accommodating of their pilgrims whether before or after Pilgrimage, together with organizing their group dispatching to Jeddah or their travel to their countries from Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah according to the regulations and instructions.
12. Missions should direct their pilgrims to the significant compliance and adherence to the measures and regulations of the Saudi competent authorities, which advise not to crowd and gather specially in areas of congestions. Rather, pilgrims should comply with the security precautions to be taken by the competent authorities in the Kingdom to protect them from any risks and dangers.
13. Missions should also cooperate with the Ministry of Pilgrimage and the National Tawafa and National Guides Establishments and the competent authorities in the Kingdom to follow up with the pilgrims who die naturally, whereas the laws and regulations dictate the following:
A. Each Pilgrimage mission or consulate should have a fax number of its own to be addressed directly by the governmental hospitals to easily obtain a burial approval.
B. A consulate deputy and a Pilgrimage mission representative should be necessarily available and duly authorized by their countries to deal with the governmental hospitals and clinics in the Kingdom to finalize the death cases procedures pertaining to their pilgrims and to take over the hospital admitted ones having been cured for their travel. A sufficient number of the Pilgrimage mission members should remain following the rituals performance to handle such tasks and they should not travel unless they make sure that all of the mission pilgrims have already returned back to their countries.
14. Organizing the flow of pilgrims to the slaughterhouses of offerings (Hadye) and sacrifices (Odheyah) as per a timetable and appointments to be assigned in advance to avoid their crowdedness in the slaughterhouses, which result in the pile up of the slaughtered offerings and sacrifices, which consequently lead to the spoil and no benefit of some of them. Their pilgrims should be made earlier aware of the method and mechanism of the work followed so that instructions can be easily followed and abided by in addition to encouraging the deputation to lessen the crowdedness.
15. In case there is a need for delegating Pilgrimage Mission representatives to the Group Dispatching Control Centers of the Ministry in Makkah and Al-Madinah, coordination with the branches of the Ministry of Pilgrimage shall be taken in each region as needed in association with National Tawafa and Guides Establishments.
16. Officials of Pilgrimage Missions in charge of the Group Dispatching of pilgrims should be strongly reminded that they should not dispatch pilgrims to the airport to leave the Kingdom long time before their travel date is due.
17. Coordination should be made with the Unified Agents Office in Jeddah, National Tawafa Establishments in Makkah Al-Mukarramah and the National Guides Establishment in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah for organizing the leave of the missions pilgrims as per the dates already scheduled.
18. Emphasis should be made to the pilgrims who have any complaint so that they bring it up to the Complaints Committees together with its evidential proofs immediately upon its occurrence for the solution of which prior to their leave because it is so difficult to consider any complaint following pilgrims leave.
19. Missions should urge pilgrims to comply with the airlines instructions particularly with regard to the payment of extra weight fees.
20. Benefit should be made out of the facilities that the Saudi Riyal traveler's checks issued by the Saudi Traveler's Checks Company and supervised by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency provide for serving pilgrims. Such checks provide for them security, and do not expose the pilgrim to carry fake money. It is also possible that such checks can be refunded when lost or stolen and cannot be exchanged by other than their owners. In addition, they can be easily carried and exchanged particularly in Pilgrimage areas and regions.
21. As from the 1422 H. Pilgrimage season, Pilgrimage Missions shall observe the air carrier responsibility towards passengers in case of flight delays and shall ensure that they provide the necessary services gradually as per the delay period commencing with necessary drinks, moving to meals provision, and then provision of hotel accommodation if the delay exceeds the normal period.
22. Taking necessary measures that ensure informing pilgrims prior to Pilgrimage that they should not bring into the Kingdom any materials for trading purposes in order to comply with the laws and regulations being applied in the Kingdom, and so that their entry into the Kingdom is not delayed at the entry outlets.
23. Preventing pilgrims from carrying any photos or books or political publications of whatever type or any things the bringing-in of which into the Kingdom is prohibited. They should be also prevented from participating in any gatherings, demonstrations, or political hails. Otherwise, the violating person shall be subject to lawful penalties and measures being applicable in the Kingdom such as returning the violating to his/her home country.
24. Pilgrimage Missions shall submit its complaint to the competent Ministry Bodies immediately following the occurrence of any violation so that it can be eliminated and investigated.
25. Pilgrimage Missions may express their notes and comments to the officials in the Ministry of Pilgrimage and the National Establishments serving pilgrims to be considered and so that the constructive suggestions may be accomplished to attain the general benefit for the pilgrims.
26. Members other than those of the official mission shall not be allowed to leave unless on the specified dates according to instructions.
27. Branch of the Ministry of Pilgrimage in the Governorate of Jeddah shall give courtesy cards to the Official Pilgrimage Missions members upon their arrival to the Kingdom as per the instructions organizing such an action.
28. Official, medical, and service missions can travel with no restrictions from Makkah Al- Mukarramah and Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah. It is important that they pass through the group dispatching control centers along the roads to verify their identities as per their passports, and their courtesy cards.
29. Persons given the courtesy cards are not restricted from travel from Makkah Al-Mukarramah. However, they are not allowed to settle in the Pilgrimage Rest Areas in Jeddah or leave the Kingdom unless on the specified dates as per the leave rules.
- The Ministry of Hajj - Designations and Definitions
- Rules and Regulations for Pilgrims
- Dates of Arrivals, Departures and Repatriation of Pilgrims to their Respective Countries
- Charges for Services and Transport
- General Instructions
- Duties and Services Provided by National Establishment for Hajj Affairs (NEHA)
- Duties of the General Cars Syndicate and the Transport Companies
- Pilgrims Lodging Rules and Executive Regulations Pertaining to Houses for Pilgrims
Main reference point: