Travel News

India is one of the countries with many residents visiting Saudi Arabia. According to Statista, in 2024 there were almost 140,000 Indians who registered and participated in the Hajj. Due to the current suspension by the Saudi Authorities. India is one of the 14 countries that have banned, along with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, India, Iraq, Nigeria, Jordan, Tunisia and Yemen.

Saudi Arabia has announced a ban on countries ahead of the Hajj Season. The last date that allows for issuing visas such as Umrah, Business and Family Visit is on April 13, 2025. Visitors with this visa need to depart on April 29. This suspension will temporarily apply until the end of the season which is in the middle of June 2025. This action taken by Saudi Arabia has been made to avoid overcrowding and safety concerns during Hajj 2025.

Overcrowding occurred in several previous hajj seasons, especially during 2024 Hajj. This happened because there were some people who participated in the hajj without using the proper visa. Reports said some of the people from India and 13 other countries overstayed during hajj. This certainly affects the running of the hajj process which has been determined based on the regulations and quotas of each country.

During Hajj 2024, nearly 1,200 pilgrims died due to the intense heat caused by overcrowding. More than half of them are unregistered visitors. The Saudi authorities blamed the unregistered participants for this unfortunate tragedy. Illegal pilgrims do not have access to the basic amenities during the process of Hajj, such transportation, lodging and healthcare. But during the hajj, these unregistered plagiarism overwhelmed the facilities of legal pilgrims. Learning from that incident, Saudi authorities immediately tightened visa regulations so that the previous incident did not happen again.

The suspended regulation did not affect the registered pilgrims and had nothing to do with diplomatic concerns. Saudi authorities said  It is pure to guarantee a safer and better organized Hajj in 2025. 

Prepare your Saudi Travel Trips

If you are planning to go to Saudi in 2025, make sure to stay informed and update with the Saudi Authorities regulations. If you do not have a valid visa for Hajj, you can schedule the Arab Saudi Trips after mid June 2025. Where the suspension is not applied anymore for 14 countries, and the Hajj Season has ended. So you would not meet a big crowd during your visit.