Saudi Arabia Expands Visa Restrictions, Affecting Moroccan Travelers

Morocco is now among the countries affected by the temporary suspension of visa issuance for Umrah, family visits and business travel. These countries now number 14. In addition to Morocco, there are also Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen. The measure will take effect on April 13 and will continue until the end of Hajj, scheduled for mid-June.

This restriction aims to put an end to the abuses observed in the use of long-term visas, particularly during the pilgrimage to Mecca, to better regulate the entry of pilgrims and to fight against illegal immigration during the Hajj period. The Saudi authorities have indeed found that some travelers would have taken advantage of these authorizations to perform the Hajj without official registration or to illegally extend their stay on Saudi territory. A situation that has contributed to tragedies during previous editions of the pilgrimage.

Last year, more than 1,200 pilgrims lost their lives due to extreme weather conditions and an uncontrolled influx of unregistered participants.