Saudi Arabia Reopens Umrah Travel for Syrians After 14-Year Suspension
New agreement allows Syrian travel agencies to organize Umrah trips without restrictions, while preparations for Hajj 2025 continue under eased passport procedures.
Watan-Saudi Arabia has officially reopened the door for Syrian travel agencies to organize Umrah pilgrimages without conditions, after nearly 14 years of suspension. Meanwhile, Syria’s Ministry of Religious Endowments (Awqaf) continues its preparations for this year’s Hajj season, aided by a decision from the Ministry of Interior to reduce the cost of expedited passport issuance for pilgrims — both inside and outside Syria — by half.
Mohammad Al-Bunni, a member of the Syrian travel agency negotiation team, revealed that a Syrian delegation signed an agreement last week with a coalition of around 160 private Saudi companies on the sidelines of the Umrah Exhibition in Medina. The deal allows the resumption of Umrah journeys starting from the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah (the second day of Eid al-Adha).
Al-Bunni confirmed that the Saudi authorities did not impose any quotas, meaning the number of pilgrims is open-ended. This gives the roughly 520 licensed Syrian Umrah offices the right to organize pilgrim groups regardless of the number of participants.
He also noted that the responsibility for Hajj has now been entirely transferred to the Ministry of Awqaf. Last season, it was jointly managed with the Ministry of Tourism. For the first time, a significant number of pilgrims under the age of 60 were selected in this year’s lottery — an unprecedented occurrence in Syria.
New Hajj Quotas Favor Younger Pilgrims as Passport Fees Are Halved
According to the Ministry of Awqaf’s data, 65% of the accepted pilgrims were aged between 63 and 100 years old, while 35% were between 25 and 60 — a sharp deviation from the previous system, where older applicants were given priority. Younger pilgrims had only been accepted if they were accompanying relatives.
Last week, the Ministry of Awqaf conducted the Hajj lottery to select 22,500 pilgrims from a pool of 43,214 applicants registered on the official Hajj platform.
On Saturday, Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab issued a decision reducing the fees for expedited passport issuance for 2025 pilgrims. The new fee for Syrians inside the country was reduced to 1 million Syrian pounds, down from over 2 million. For Syrians abroad applying via relatives inside Syria, the fee was reduced to $400, down from $800.
The decision came in response to a request from the Ministry of Awqaf and the Hajj Directorate, based on recommendations from the Immigration and Passports Department. It went into effect last Wednesday.
Al-Bunni also shared that only about 15 agencies were granted permission to organize Hajj trips this year, chosen through a rigorous vetting process. He criticized the move, calling for the reinstatement of the previous system where the responsibility was split between the Ministries of Tourism and Awqaf.
Official Warning Issued as Syria Resumes Umrah Under New Saudi Agreement
The Hajj and Umrah Administration at the Ministry of Awqaf issued a statement warning against dealing with unofficial websites or intermediaries claiming to offer Hajj opportunities for money. It emphasized that only officially accredited agencies are authorized to collect passports and issue financial notices to accepted pilgrims.
Several Syrian banks announced that they would remain operational throughout the recent holiday — from Thursday through Monday — to facilitate transactions for pilgrims. Likewise, the Immigration and Passports Department confirmed it had opened branches in Damascus, Homs, and Aleppo during the holiday exclusively to process passport requests for accepted pilgrims.
Although Saudi Arabia did not completely halt issuing Umrah visas to Syrians last year, the stringent conditions imposed effectively prevented Syrian travel agencies from organizing trips. As a result, no Syrians managed to obtain Umrah visas under the former system.
Last March, Saudi authorities suspended all Umrah visas for Syrians after tens of thousands exploited their pilgrimage visas from asylum-host countries to remain illegally in the Kingdom. Soon after, the Kingdom reintroduced Umrah visas under strict conditions, including agency licensing, written guarantees, financial and legal commitments, and the presence of a Saudi sponsor if the pilgrim was not staying in a hotel. Syrian agencies struggled to meet these demands, which effectively froze Umrah travel — until last week’s new agreement reopened the path for Syrian pilgrims.
