Hajj: Saudi collect processing fee from agents not visa fee -Embassy

The ambassador of Saudi Arabia, Khalid O. Abdrabuh, in an interview with Sunday Trust, said the entire embassies of Saudi Arabia worldwide do not charge or collect Hajj and Umrah fees for visas. Intending pilgrims get visa through travel agents because the embassy does not deal with individuals but with licensed agents in terms of […]

The ambassador of Saudi Arabia, Khalid O. Abdrabuh, in an interview with Sunday Trust, said the entire embassies of Saudi Arabia worldwide do not charge or collect Hajj and Umrah fees for visas. Intending pilgrims get visa through travel agents because the embassy does not deal with individuals but with licensed agents in terms of Umrah, who liaise with their counterparts in Saudi Arabia to get accommodation and transportation which must be paid  before visa can be released.

The system is highly organised. There are terms of contract agreements between the agencies in the Kingdom and the agencies in foreign countries including Nigeria. Saudi Arabia Ministry of Hajj responds to all complaints for any dispute or breach of contract by the agencies. It also settles disputes between the agencies and renders appropriate judgements to the complaints. It is the right of every agent manager to request for the interpretation of any document to the official language of his country, so that he understands its contents clearly before he puts his signature.

There is a laid down rule for either Saudi agents or foreign agents to follow. Penalties for violating rules vary. Some minor violations may only result in a warning from the Ministry of Hajj Affairs in the Kingdom. Other violations may either lead to one year, two years or final boycott of the agent concerned, which depends on the gravity of offence committed by the agent. However, it is only the Saudi ministry that is vested with the power to do so and not  theSaudi embassy.

Saudi Arabian law allows anybody residing in the Kingdom (irrespective of his or her nationality) to sue Saudi citizen in the court, when you feel your right has been violated.

There is a committee which comprises members from different organisations and ministries that solely responds to complaints from Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. This was part of the steps taken by the kingdom along with other projects in order to enhance ease and comfort to visitors of the holy mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque.

Dija Travel manager, Hajiya Amina Ibrahim said processing of visa starts with a travel agent that is licensed by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON). Then you relate with a similar agent in Saudi Arabia who is allowed to do Umrah or Hajj business in Saudi Arabia and if you are satisfied with the guidelines by the company, you sign a contract. This varies from one company to the other, depending on the company you are dealing with, on the amount to be collected from you, ranging from N4 million (100, 000 Saudi Riyals) as bank guarantee, the guarantee is within Nigeria that is, you go to bank here in Nigeria and give the bank the name of the company you are doing business with in Saudi Arabia, ask them for electronic bank guarantee. Most banks insist on increment on the amount, to allow them remove their charges since it is a foreign guarantee, so they have to add N2 million or more depending on the money. The bank then generate electronic transfer that will hit either South Africa or London depending on the foreign bank that your bank is into transaction with, then it hits Saudi Arabia, and you inform your partner in Saudi Arabia to go and receive the guarantee, which he takes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to finalise your contract and give you a password that you will use in generating Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) for visa.

But before then, you have to drop some money with the same company you are doing business with either 100, 000 Saudi Riyals or more, depending on the company you are dealing with, before you start sending your request for MOFA which is like visa application, and they will process your request through the ministry. However according to what they tell them, they pay Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs service charge,  and part of the requirement from Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs is that they must secure hotel accommodation for pilgrims before visa is issued.

“Saudi agents are responsible for getting us hotel accommodation. We cannot, so we are left at their mercy. Sometimes, visa ranges from $400 to $500, before Ramadan, we don’t have a special price for visa. The visa comes with accommodation and transportation. It is then we can collect passport from intending pilgrims for visa and fill the MOFA, pilgrim’s details online and then the ministry releases approval online. That is when we tender pilgrims passport at Saudi embassy for visa approval. What Saudi embassy do is just to stamp the visa on pilgrims passport,” Hajiya Amina said.

What the agents pay to Saudi foreign ministry is called processing fee for MOFA (paper fee) before giving you visa, which can indirectly be referred to as visa fee. The agent, also in Saudi drops bank guarantee to the ministry just as we do. The essence of the guarantee is for people who abscond and it serves as a backup. 

The chairman of Omosa Travels Ltd, Mansour Salaudin Lafenwa, said normally, Saudi will tell you they don’t collect money for visa, but the travelling agents operate through Saudi agents and they have to pay for hotel accommodation and transportation, and the travelling agents apply for visa through them and they pay processing fees for visa through Saudi Ministry of Hajj to get MOFA and send it to them.

“The problem we normally face is that some of our people, when they get to Saudi, they will insist that they want to go to Mecca first instead of going to Medina then Mecca later. They end up forfeiting their transport. Visa is cheap now. You can get Umrah visa for 70,000 to 75,000 but when it is Ramadan period, there will be hike in the price, N90,000, N100,000 and N110,000. Why the price of Umrah is high during Ramadan is because accommodation paid for is one month and not two weeks,” he said.

This business is just like any other business with ups and down, he reiterated, saying that allocation is normally not their own making. Saudi government gives Saudi agents allocation and they share to them according to their capacity. “We don’t have much say on this business; we only try to go along with the system on ground. The biggest challenge we are facing is how to get visa out early and how our interest can also be protected just like the interest of Saudi agents is protected, which can only be achieved through Nigeria government intervention,” he said.

Meeraj Travels and Tour Managing Director, Alhaji Inuwa Aisa, said most of their clients believe that visa is free, because the visa stamped on pilgrim’s passport reads free, saying that before they went into contract agreement, they deposited 100,000 Saudi Riyals as bank guarantee, which can be withdrawn at any time by Saudi government. Saudi government holds this money when any pilgrim absconds, their pilgrims are free while they face the penalty for their abscondment.

“Visa is free but we cannot get visa for less than $500 with transport and accommodation paid, some of our Saudi counterparts are good while some disappear after receiving our money,” he added.

Emirates Travels and Tours Limited Managing Director, Jibrin Ado Yakasai said the major problem they have is division, since they are not backed by Nigeria government or Saudi government, pointing out that  Hajj Commission is operating separately, as such  they are also operating separately and so is Saudi. But they are left to suffer because they are at the receiving end of Saudi government and Nigerian government.

“Even after we have fulfilled Nigerian government’s requirement as travel agents, which includes IATA, increased capital of N30 million, but we are still not recognised by the Hajj Commission, decisions about travel and tours are made by Nigerian government, we have never been involved in decision making in a business we suffer for,” he complained.

He said Saudi government prefers to deal with government, therefore they cannot present their complain to Saudi through Saudi embassy, because they insist that it must come from hajj Commission.

“For instance, in Saudi we have muassassa who handle all the affairs of hajj and they have 100 percent support of the Saudi government, but here in Nigeria, Hajj Commission does not stand for us in anything, they only create policies for us to follow.

“We have never been invited to attend a meeting in Saudi, Hajj Commission always represents  us. In fact,  we don’t know the criteria the Hajj Commission uses  for seat allocation, sometimes the commission pass information to us through the Nigeria Association of Travels and Tours because they don’t want to recognise us,” he added.