The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has temporarily imposed a visa ban on Bangladeshis for Umrah, business, travel, and family visas. Along with Bangladesh, 13 other countries are also included in this list. In total, Saudi Arabia has imposed a temporary visa ban on people from 14 countries.
This visa ban will remain in effect until mid-June. During this time, millions of Muslims from around the world will perform Hajj in the holy city of Mecca.
Pakistani media outlet ARY News has reported that this measure has been taken to prevent citizens from these countries from performing Hajj without permission. However, those who already have an Umrah visa from these countries will be allowed to enter Saudi Arabia until April 13, according to Saudi authorities.
They mentioned that many people had previously entered Saudi Arabia on Umrah and travel visas and stayed longer than allowed, attempting to perform Hajj without permission. This led to overcrowding, causing the number of people to exceed the capacity during Hajj, particularly in the intense heat. In the 2024 Hajj, 1,200 people died due to heat exhaustion, and some of them perished from dehydration as they could not enter air-conditioned tents because of lack of permission.
Another reason for the visa ban is that many people from these countries attempt to work in Saudi Arabia on travel, Umrah, or business and family visas.
Saudi Arabia has urged these countries not to be concerned about the visa ban, as it is not related to diplomacy. The main purpose is to ensure that ordinary pilgrims can perform Hajj comfortably. The Hajj season in Saudi Arabia will take place from June 4 to June 9.
The countries affected by this visa ban are:
Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Nigeria, Jordan, Algeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Yemen, and Morocco.
