The Saudi government has imposed a heavy tax on pilgrims who intend to perform Umrah for the second time.
The authorities have introduced a rule which obligates pilgrims to pay a tax of SAR 2000 for performing Umrah again. Under the new rule, an individual will only be able to avail the tax-free visa facility two years after their previous Umrah.
The policy has been introduced to facilitate pilgrims heading to Saudi Arabia for the first time, as a massive number of Hajjis intend to perform Umrah in Muharram this year. Due to this policy, thousands of intending pilgrims from Pakistan are awaiting their visa clearance for Umrah.
Pakistani travel agencies that have already accepted payments from travelers are facing problems due to non-clearance of visas.
The new tax policy was introduced during the last Hajj season. However, Pakistani pilgrims enjoyed a waiver last year on the request of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Via: Express
