Pilgrims who wish to perform Hajj outside the jurisdiction of the official Hajj missions, should arrive through an organiser who will represent them. This representative should be either a tourism company, a travel agency, a welfare committee or a group.

The organiser should meet the following:

* This organiser should be licensed from the concerned authority and from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of his country, that he is permitted to make travel and tourism business, and he should authenticate that from the representative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in his country.

* He has to be financially capable to execute all conditions: among them is the requested advance payment for service charges and financial guarantees which will be clarified in the clauses of this system.

* He should have suitable technical equipment and the possibility of being connected with the special Ministry of Hajj computer network to enter his pilgrims’ passports data prior to the application to the representative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in his country to obtain the visas and pay the related charges.

* The organiser is not allowed to make a contract with any Tawafa Est. except for the one which serves the country and nationality where he obtained the work permit from.

* The minimum number of pilgrims for each organiser is fifty pilgrims and the maximum number is six hundred. If the organiser seeks more numbers of pilgrims, the ministry of Hajj will look through his application on the condition that the number doesn’t exceed the total number of pilgrims allocated to each country.

* Any organiser whose number of pilgrims exceeds two hundred pilgrims is requested to appoint a person for every one hundred pilgrims. This person is responsible for field supervision for the pilgrims and following up the services provided to them. This person is included in the number of visas issued to the organiser.

* The organiser whose number of pilgrims exceeds two hundred is requested to submit a signed contract with the air carrier to issue two-way Air-tickets to transport his pilgrims or he may submit an authorised list from an air travel company with confirmed reservations and pre-paid tickets.

* Housing contracts should be certified from the Ministry of Hajj branches in Makkah and Madinah. The housing location con’t be changed without the Ministry of Hajj approval.

* Hotel contracts must be issued and certified from the Ministry of Commerce branches in Makkah and Madinah.

* Housing contracts in Madinah should only be issued after the 5th of Thul-Hijja.

* Housing contracts in Makkah for returned pilgrims from Madinah should be issued on the 5th of Thul-Hijja until their departure after Hajj season.

* Direct transportation of pilgrims from Madinah to the Holy Shrines on the 5th of Thul-Hijja or after is not permitted.

* The 15th of Ramadan each year is the deadline to contact the representatives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to obtain a visiting visa to the Kingdom in order to complete the requested procedures.

* It’s not allowed to authorise any Saudi citizen or resident in the Kingdom or any one outside the organiser’s country in order to come to the Kingdom to complete the requested official procedures.

* If the representative is a manager or an authorised person of the owner, he is not allowed to be authorised for more than one organiser. The owner is not permitted to own more than one establishment.

* A contract should be issued with the General Car Syndicate and a financial guarantee of (eighteen Saudi Riyals) should be paid for each pilgrim. This amount represents 10% of the Holy Shrines transportation ticket value. This guarantee is refundable only if there are no remarks that necessitate deduction of the amount of this guarantee or part of it.

Second: Procedure Stages and Steps:

A - Inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:

If the organiser meets the above mentioned conditions, he or his official representative must adhere to the following:

* Obtaining a frequent visiting visa and coming to the Kingdom during the period of beginning of Rajab to mid Shawwal in order to complete all the requested procedures and make contracts to obtain the approval of Ministry of Hajj for the number of visas required.

* All the procedures, contracts and follow-up communication should be done by the organiser representative himself.: (owner, manager or deputy) and he must present the following:

a. His ID card which he uses officially in his country.

b. Work permit issued from his country and it should be certified as mentioned before.

c. An authorisation letter which should be certified from the representative of the Two Holy Mosque, in his country in case of authorisation. He has to contact Tawafa Est. which serves the pilgrims of the country which permitted him to work in travel and tourism business. He has to do the following:

* He has to submit a photocopy of:

1) (His passport - His ID card - Work permit which is issued from his country - A letter of authorisation in case of authorisation). Original documents must be shown to certify the photocopies.

2) He has to fill out the Hajj is a form to apply for obtaining the approval of the Ministry of Hajj to issue Hajj visas. (attached)

3) He has to make a contract with Tawafa Est. to provide the usual service. To prove his seriousness, the organiser has to pay a financial guarantee to the Est. equal to 10% of the service revenue. This payment is refundable immediately after Hajj season.

4) If the organiser wishes to provide an excellent service to his pilgrims, he has to make contracts for this service with Tawafa Est. He has to pay not less than 50% of the total value of these contracts. In this case, he is not requested to pay the amount of the guarantee mentioned in the previous item.

5) He has to make housing and residence services contracts in Makkah or Madina using the special forms for Tawafa Est. or Adilla Est. he has to pay the rent according to housing regulations.

6) He has to make transportation contracts between Hajj stations and Holy Shrines with companies that are members in the General Car Syndicate.

7) He has to make a contract for automatic information transferral through the Ministry of Hajj network which is connected to the operation company for Umra and Hajj information center.

8) The organiser has to sign a testimony or a letter of acknowledgement that he is liable to the clauses mentioned in “conditions and instructions”.

* All the documents must be submitted to the concerned Tawafa Est. and all the contracts must be made through it.

* Tawafa Est. is requested to review all the previously mentioned contracts and enter them in the special computer programme through the Ministry network. Then, a file containing all these contracts and documents must be sent to the Branch of Ministry of Hajj in Makkah for approval, documentation and authentication of the permitted number of pilgrims for each organiser. After that, a follow-up ticket is issued to the organiser for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs notification of the targeted number of visas allocated to this organiser through an information network prepared for this purpose.

B - Inside the pilgrim’s country:

* The organiser has to make individual contracts with the pilgrims including:

Specifications and grades of residence, transportation, catering and services agreed on. A copy of this contract must be provided to the pilgrim in order to bring it with him upon his arrival to the Kingdom.

* The organiser is requested to enter passports’ data of the pilgrims that follow him in the computer through the special website in the internet and though Hajj and Omra Centre.

* The organiser is requested to submit the passports to the representative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in his country. He has to show the serial number of the follow-up ticket which he obtained from the Ministry Branch in Makkah in order to get the requested visas.

C- Pilgrims’ arrival to the Kingdom:

The representative of the organiser who made the contracts and agreements is requested to:

1. Arrive with the first group (batch) of his pilgrims.

2. Contact the concerned Tawafa Est. (field service group) in Makkah and Adilla Est. in Madinah and prove his attendance. He has to leave his residence address and his contact numbers. He has to confirm pilgrim’s residence and the names of the guides working with him in Hajj service.

3. The organiser is not allowed to leave the Kingdom unless the last group (batch) of his pilgrims depart the Kingdom. After that he will receive a clearance letter from the concerned Tawafa Est. in Makkah and Adilla Est. in Madinah.

Third : Penalties and irregularities board:

1st Irregularities:

First Category :

1.   Not making (writing) residential contracts in Makkah and Madinah for the whole number of pilgrims.

2.   Not making (writing) residential contracts in Makkah and Madinah for the whole period of pilgrims stay.

3.   Making (writing) residential contracts in Al-Madinah during the prohibited period after the 5th day of Thul-Hijja without writing transportation contracts to Makkah with the General Cars Syndicate or Transport Companies allowed by the Ministry of Transport.

4.   Not making (Writing) residential contracts in Makkah after the 5th of Thul-Hijja for pilgrims coming from Jeddah or Madinah.

5.   Changing sites of pilgrims' accommodation lodging (which were contracted on previously and on which they were given Hajj visa) to other sites without written agreement by the Ministry of Hajj.

6.   Making (writing) contracts with any other pilgrims not residing in the same country where the organiser resides.

7.   Making any service contracts with any other “Twafa” establishment other than that specified according to the organiser’s nationality.

8.   Not complying the obligation of using vehicles and cars of pilgrims transport companies under the sponsorship of the General Cars Syndicate according to the contracts written with it.

9.   Not complying with the obligation of made, and financial dues to other parties whether dealing with accommodation, transport or services.

10. Giving fake cheques or false financial certificates or not having sufficient funds in the   account.

11. Giving incorrect information or incorrect certificates.

12. Cheating pilgrims and misleading them through giving unreal specifications about accommodation and services which are different from those mentioned in contracts allocated by concerned and authorised organisations in the Kingdom.

13.   Not making direct and detailed contracts with every pilgrim showing all rights of the pilgrim.

14.   The absence of the organiser representative who has signed the contracts and made the treaties at the time of the pilgrims’ arrival during the season.

15.     Not adhering to dates of arrival or departure of pilgrims as contracted with hotels, accommodation groups and building owners.

Second Category:

Arrival of the representative in the Kingdom during Hajj season after his pilgrims’ arrival

Leaving the Kingdom after Hajj Season before the departure of all of his pilgrims.

Not referring to the organiser representative of the concerned ‘Twafa Establishment’ in Makkah or ‘Adilla Establishment’ in Madinah and not giving needed information mentioned before.

Not taking part and being on field to resolve problems and obstacles facing his pilgrims or avoiding that.

Having no co-operation with governmental and national organisations for facilitating pilgrims service.

Not complying with the obligation of paying money needed for reserving extra luggage cars for his pilgrims.

The act of the organiser representative-whose pilgrims are more than 200 pilgrims-not giving an authentic contract or an authentic statement from an airway company which confirmed payable return reservations To and Fro, not giving the authentic contract to the representation of the Two Holy Mosques in the organiser representative’s country at the time of submitting passports for visas.

Not bringing the complete number of pilgrims that have been given visas.

Third Category:

Not giving authentic statements to the establishments of “Arabab Al-Tawaef” fixing their pilgrims departure dates with confirmed reservations.

Having no on field-supervision of his pilgrims residing in houses prepared for them at their arrival whether in Makkah or in Madinah.

Not following up conditions of hospital in-patients pilgrims and finalising dead-pilgrim testimonial measures with co-ordination with the concerned service group.

No on-field supervising of pilgrim departure process.

2nd Penalties:

In case of the company or tourist-agency irregularity of any of the mentioned rules in this regulation, the Ministry of Hajj takes the due measures which may extend to preventing the company or the establishment from regulating personal pilgrim arrivals in future.

Random Hadees

Narrated//Abu Hazim: I asked Sahl bin Sad, "Did Allah's Apostle ever eat white flour?" Sahl said, "Allah's Apostle never saw white flour since Allah sent him as an Apostle till He took him unto Him." I asked, "Did the people have (use) sieves during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle?" Sahl said, "Allah's Apostle never saw (used) a sieve since Allah sent him as an Apostle until He took him unto Him," I said, "How could you eat barley unsifted?" he said, "We used to grind it and then blow off its husk, and after the husk flew away, we used to prepare the dough (bake) and eat it." Sahih Bukhari, Book 65