Saudi Arabia: Come February 10, Umrah Visitors Will Have To Get This Mandatory Vaccine

Are you someone who is thinking of travelling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah in the coming days? If your answer is yes, then you will want to know about an updated requirement for vaccination that will become mandatory from February 10 onwards. Here’s everything you need to know about the vaccination requirement.

Umrah Vaccination Requirement For Pilgrims

No matter what type of visa you hold, if you are someone who is planning to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, then you will need to take the Neisseria Meningitis Vaccination. This announcement was made by the General Authority of Civil Aviation and was sent to all the airlines that are operating flights to the kingdom. In fact, it also included private airlines.

The authorities in its notification informed the necessity of travellers, especially those holding Umrah Visa about the health requirements that have been specified on the Saudi Ministry of Health’s website. In fact, according to an Arabic daily, Masrawy, Saudi Arabia will not permit citizens to perform the Umrah pilgrimage until they meet all the vaccination requirements set by the GACA. As it happens, this comes into effect from February 10. Moreover, in case a person fails to comply with the vaccine requirements, they will be prevented from entering the kingdom to perform this religious duty.

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Conditions For Vaccination

For those who aren’t aware, it is required that the passengers get the Quadrivalent Meningitis Vaccine, however, the following conditions must apply:

• The vaccine certificate should be issued at least 10 days before the arrival date in Saudi Arabia.
• The certificate should not exceed three years for the Polysaccharide type. And it should not exceed five years for the Conjugate type.
• Children under the age of one year are exempted from this vaccine.

In fact, all the airlines are required to take the necessary precautions at the point of embarkation. This is being done to ensure that passengers have the required documentation for the transit and destination countries. Moreover, any non-compliance with the GACA circular will be considered as a violation of the government’s order. As a result, violators will face legal consequences.

So, if you are someone who has plans to travel to travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, make sure to keep your vaccine certificates updated.

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