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By Kirubel Tadesse - Capital
20 September, 2007
The Royal Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Ethiopia has put conditions on Oumra and Haj visa applicants from Ethiopia. The Embassy stated that all visa applicants should have an international passport and should be at least forty years old if traveling alone. The Embassy said that although these conditions have been set, it will not deny the service of issuing visas.
The Embassy assured Muslims that one of the main duties of the Embassy is serving its Muslim brothers and sisters in this friendly country and providing all the facilities for them to perform their religious rituals. The Royal Embassy of Saudi added that it does not charge any payment for issuing Oumra visas. In a press release the Embassy sent to Capital it explained that, claims that the embassy is refusing to issue Oumra visas is baseless.
The press release further added that, the Embassy does not interfere in the issuance of visas through licensed travel agencies which have IATA membership and have signed a contract with one of the Saudi offices in the Kingdom.
It was learnt that Ethiopian travel agencies send the list of names of visa applicants to the Saudi Oumra offices, which in turn, sends it to the Ministry of Haj in the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Embassy further explained that the Ministry of Haj in the Kingdom, after it approves the Saudi Oumra office’s request, sends its approval to the Ministry of Foreign affairs. “The Embassy can only issue visas after receiving the Foreign Ministry’s approval” said the press release.
“The Embassy hopes that the Muslim community will be able to perform the Oumra rituals smoothly this year and wishes them also a safe return to their countries in good health,” reads the press release of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia.