Saudi Arabia temporarily halts visas for 14 nations including India, until end of Hajj 2025

Saudi Arabia has temporarily suspended the issuance of Umrah (commonly defined as the non-mandatory 'lesser' pilgrimage made by Muslims to Mecca, for which there is no specified timeframe), business, and family visit visas for citizens of 14 nations — including India — effective immediately and continuing until mid-June 2025, as per various media reports.

This timeframe aligns with the conclusion of the Hajj pilgrimage season. The move, according to the reports, is aimed at managing overcrowding and enhancing safety protocols during Hajj.

As per Saudi directives, the final date for issuing Umrah visas is set for 13 April. Following this cutoff, nationals from the affected countries will not be granted new Umrah, business, or family visit visas until the completion of Hajj. The suspension is applicable to citizens of the following countries: Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen.

India’s inclusion in the list is reportedly owing to concerns surrounding 'unauthorised' Hajj participation. According to various sources, some individuals from India and other listed nations have entered the kingdom on Umrah or visit visas and subsequently remained to undertake the Hajj pilgrimage without registering via official channels. This practice circumvents Saudi Arabia’s regulated quota system, which assigns a specific number of Hajj slots to each country to manage pilgrim volumes.

Saudi authorities have attributed severe overcrowding and safety challenges — particularly during extreme heat conditions — to such unregistered pilgrims. The Hajj in 2024 witnessed over 1,200 fatalities, which officials partly linked to individuals who entered the country through unofficial means, and so lacked access to essential services and facilities.

This latest restriction follows a previous measure implemented in February this year, when Saudi Arabia indefinitely suspended one-year multiple-entry visas and restricted travel from the same 14 countries to single-entry visas valid for only 30 days. The current policy intensifies those restrictions ahead of Hajj 2025, scheduled to take place from 4 to 9 June.

Saudi officials maintain that India’s inclusion stems from confirmed instances of visa misuse by some of its nationals seeking to bypass official Hajj procedures. The temporary suspension is intended to curb such violations and uphold the integrity and safety of the pilgrimage process.

While multiple reports confirm that 14 countries are subject to the ban, some sources explicitly name only 13. However, Morocco is frequently identified as the likely 14th country based on recurring patterns across various media reports.

With agency inputs