ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs has officially issued new Umrah rules as part of reforms aimed at improving the management of Umrah services and ensuring greater transparency for pilgrims.
According to the notification released by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, only those companies that are approved by the Ministry of Religious Affairs shall be allowed to offer any sort of service related to Umrah. Matters pertaining to the arrangements for Umrah come under the jurisdiction of the ministry according to Hajj and Umrah Act 2024.
An Umrah Policy Committee has been constituted for making a new set of policies regarding Umrah according to the notification. The committee will be headed by the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs along with officials from the ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Law and the Cabinet Division.
The list of Umrah companies that are verified will be available on the ministry’s official website.
It was made clear that complaints would only be entertained against registered and approved Umrah tour companies and not individual travellers making arrangements with non-approved companies.
In addition to this, it has been made mandatory that pilgrims make payments for their Umrah tours via bank transactions. The Ministry suggested that pilgrims keep copies of payments, contracts, and other important documents safely.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs said the reforms are aimed at ensuring transparency, accountability, and protection of pilgrims’ rights while discouraging illegal and unregistered Umrah operators.
