Cairo: According to the official Saudi group, now all the Muslim women who belong overseas can now take Umrah or lesser pilgrimage and obtain related visas without taking the help of a male guardian or being members of a female group.

Previously, the government of Kuwait imposed restrictions on the women who wanted to come into the kingdom in order to perform Umrah, need to go with a male guardian, but last month the regulations were relaxed for women above the age of 45, provided they come as a part of a female group.

Now, women are eligible to perform Umrah and have a right to be issued an Umrah visa without the presence of a male guardian or a female group, said the spokesperson for the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Hesham bin Saeed was quoted as saying by Saudi news portal Sabq.

Previously, a male guardian was compulsory for the insurance of an Umrah visa for women, and this rule was applicable to women below the age of 45 years. But, now, women are allowed to get the visa without binding to have a male guardian or a group of women added by the official group.

“Now, there are no restrictions on issuing this visa.”

The Islamic holy month of Ramadan is usually the peak season for Umrah at the Grand Mosque in the Saudi city of Mecca.

According to Saudi figures, nearly 2 million performed Umrah in the early days of Ramadan, which started on April 2.