Ministry of Hajj and Umrah


The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is a Saudi government ministry which is in charge of handling issues of Hajj and Umrah in the Kingdom. The ministry assures safe arrival and departure of pilgrims and visitors arriving in Saudi Arabia for Hajj or Umrah. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is authorized to tackle all Hajj-related issues. It mainly coordinates between different sectors working for Hajj and Umrah operations as well as between different Hajj-related agencies in Muslim countries and worldwide. Moreover, the Ministry is responsible for developing plans, implementing and supervising the services provided to pilgrims and visitors of the Two Holy Mosques.
The city of Mecca, where Muslims perform Hajj and Umrah, comes under Saudi Arabian jurisdiction.
The Ministry has recently launched an application to issued e-visa for umrah visitors and pilgrims.

Strategic initiatives

To achieve the strategic goals and targets of vision 2030, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah launched several strategic initiatives. These initiatives include; the establishment of the electronic control center and system at the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to provide a control panel for cooperative governmental agencies. Another initiative is introduction of the Hajj pilgrims' e-bracelet program that stores pilgrims information and helps to provide them with the necessary support. The ministry has also increased the capacity of Umrah and hajj where more than 4.1 million visas have been issued in 2019.

The Grand Hajj symposium

The Grand Hajj symposium is a cultural and scientific meeting held annually in Mecca during the Hajj season. The symposium is organized by the Ministry of Haj and Umra with the participation of scholars, thinkers, Intellectuals, and writers of the Islamic world.