Cairo: According to Saudi Interior Ministry, taking an official permit to perform Umrah is now mandatory or more secondary pilgrimage at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

Moreover, Umrah will not be allowed without a permit, and the permit will be issued through apps Eatmarna and Tawkkalna, the Ministry added, as per the Sources.

It said that a fine of SR10,000 would be imposed on arrivals without such permits.

However, the administration will verify the permit on the Tawakkalna app by checking it with the national ID, residency ID, or via passport number according to the date specified in the permit, said the Ministry’s General Directorate of Public Security.

Ramadan is usually the peak of Umrah.

Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al Bassami, chief of Umrah Security Forces, stated on Friday that minor pilgrimages require a permit “to ensure good organization.” Praying in the Grand Mosque and its courtyards, on the other hand, does not require a permit.

Meanwhile, wearing face masks is required for pilgrims and worshippers praying at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet Mohammed’s Mosque in Medina in the festive season of Ramadan, according to Maj. Gen. Ali Al Qahtani, Assistant Chief of Umrah Security Forces.

Moreover, the Saudi government recently eased measures for performing Umrah as the kingdom has largely eased the restrictions against COVID-19.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has taken several preventive measures, including canceling passes for praying at the Grand Mosque and entering the Prophet’s Mohammed Mosque.

The Ministry has also stated that the immunization check to enter both holy sites has been scrapped for all worshippers.

Moreover, the Ministry has canceled the once-obligatory registration of immunization data for overseas Muslims to get an Umrah permit.

A compulsory presentation of a negative PCR test result to access both sacred places has been lifted.